My Hero
by DarkPatronus97
Summary: Draco Malfoy is being abused by his boyfriend. He finds no issues to his pain and his shame. The only reason that keeps him alive is his son, Scorpius. Will Draco and his son be able to live happily again? WARNING: violence, mpreg, slash, Drarry (in future chapters). All the characters and places belong to the talented JK Rowling. I make no money of this fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. Here I'm back with another fanfiction. I hope that this time, I will be able to finish it. I started so many fanfictions on this site and finished none of them, except some oneshots. But well, I think this particular story has potential and if it has, the readers will tell me more about it. **

**Sorry if there are still mistakes, I haven't provided myself a beta yet. If anyone's interested, feel free to tell me ^^. However, this is a slash fanfiction, containing mpreg and OOCness and violence. Oh and it will eventually turn out to be a Drarry. So, if there's anything you don't like, I'll advise you not to read. For all the others, pretty welcomes and have fun reading the first chapter. (MIND THE RATING PLEASE!) **

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_

_Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me_

_Until then I walk alone…_

_/ Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day/_

The night was still young when Draco heard the characteristic 'pop' coming from the corridor. He closed his eyes to avoid the tears from running down his cheeks. Tonight, he would get beaten again. He didn't know what he had done to deserve such treatment, but the tone his boyfriend had used in the morning before he had left for work implied that something did not please him. It implied that Draco would have to pay the price for his boyfriend's bad mood.

"Draco" Marcus Flint bellowed. Draco heard him trip over something and swear loudly. The blonde hoped that his boyfriend wouldn't wake up their son. Scorpius, his little angel, was like Draco in many ways. He had his pale blonde hair and his stormy grey eyes, but also his slightly pointed chin. Scorpius also had inherited Draco's arrogance and self-confidence, as well as his apparent gentleness. Scorpius was a good kid, curious and bright. If only Marcus would see the beauty in their son, it would spare Draco many nights of crying.

"DRACO" Marcus barked. Draco quickly got up and walked to meet his boyfriend. Like expected, Marcus smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. The years had been kind to the former Slytherin, transforming his caveman's looks into handsome and elegant features. He was a handsome man and when Draco had met him again three years past, he thought that Marcus was a very nice guy, too. How mistaken he had been, but when he had found out about his boyfriend's aggressive attitude, it had already been too late.

Seeing him, Marcus smiled devilishly and he forcefully grabbed Draco's left arm, pulling him into a possessive embrace. His lips crushed against Draco's, biting them punishingly. The blonde yelped in pain, feeling the tears of shame well up in his eyes, but he forced himself to calm down. He had to stay strong; if not for him, then for Scorpius.

"I heard that you've been a very naughty boy of late" Marcus whispered in Draco's ear. The blonde felt dizzy because of the strong smell of the alcohol coming from Marcus. He forced himself to look his boyfriend in the eye.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Marcus" Draco said, trying to step away from his boyfriend's embrace, earning himself a violent smack across his face. The strength of the blow hurt the blonde, but he knew better than to stand up to Marcus. The first and last time he had stood up to his boyfriend, he had won three broken ribs and a broken nose. Draco didn't feel like challenging Marcus into trying this experience again.

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. My Draco, my pet…" Marcus growled. His hands experimentally unbuckled his belt, pulling his trousers and boxers down. His free hand yanked at Draco's hair, forcing him to his knees.

"Suck me!" he ordered, presenting his throbbing cock to Draco. The blonde swallowed the lump in his throat before engulfing his boyfriend's penis into his mouth, begging all the Gods he knew that Scorpius wouldn't come down to check on his fathers. He couldn't stand the shame of being seen in such a weak position by his son. It was already hard enough to bear.

"I've come to know that you've met Blaise Zabini in Diagon Alley yesterday afternoon" Marcus said, smacking Draco's cheek in order to make him suck harder on his cock. Tears ran down Draco's cheeks and nodded with some difficulties, earning another violent slap.

"You're a whore, Draco. Haven't I told you often enough that you're MINE?" Marcus asked, burying his hand in Draco's hair, closing his eyes in bliss. He was close to coming into his boyfriend's talented mouth. Draco nodded once again, using his tongue to please Marcus as much as he could as an apology. The former Slytherin groaned and came in Draco's mouth. The blonde drank all the semen before freeing Marcus' cock from his wet mouth. The latter sighed in contentment.

"That's a good boy, isn't he?" he coaxed, passing a comforting hand through Draco's hair.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you, Marcus. I didn't mean to anger you… Blaise is my best friend and he has always been since we first met at school. Besides, he's Scorpius' godfather"

"Ah yes, where's my son? Sleeping already? Didn't want him to see how I was punishing you, did you? I wonder what your beautiful angel would say, should he know that his daddy is a mere whore, meant only for my pleasure" Draco couldn't bear hearing these words, which hurt his very soul. He couldn't help but let out a sob.

"Please, don't tell him" he begged Marcus. The dark-haired man laughed haughtily, brutally pulling Draco up. "You're begging me to keep your submission a secret, whore? Fine I will do as you beg, but there will be repayment for it later, I dare hope" Draco vehemently nodded, wishing only for his little angel's innocence to be preserved. Marcus' lips sealed Draco's in a possessive kiss, biting the blonde's tongue mercilessly. A hand found its way into Draco's pants, stroking his hard cock slowly, agonizingly slowly.

"That's a good pet" Marcus coaxed, pushing Draco against the nearest wall, claiming him in the hall.

Draco stood in Scorpius' bedroom, the loud sounds of Marcus' snoring echoing in their large flat. Scorpius looked peaceful in his sleep, as if nothing could get him there. If that was the case, Draco hoped that his son would never again awake from his peaceful state. Yet, who would provide him the strength to live if Scorpius wasn't there? His little angel was the only thing that kept Draco from committing suicide. He had often considered this option before Scorpius' birth. Somehow, there had always been that one sparkle of hope burning in his heart, keeping him from drinking the poison he had prepared himself. There had always been that little voice in his head, telling him that deep inside his heart, Marcus loved him dearly. There was that insane love for his boyfriend that kept him from leaving with Scorpius. There was that sparkle of hope… there was love.

Blaise had always been the first to tell Draco that he deserved better than an abusive boyfriend. On the other hand, Blaise had always been the one to support Draco through every challenges life had put on his way. Blaise and his wife, Pansy, had always been there for Draco and it was therefor that the blonde had chosen them as godparents. He knew that if something should happen to him one day, Blaise and Pansy would take great care of his little angel. And that was all that mattered to Draco.

Scorpius stirred in his sleep, clutching the stuffed dragon against his chest. Yes, there was nothing more precious to Draco than his son. He loved Scorpius more than anything or anyone in the world. His son was his life, the very reason he was still alive. His son was his world and would forever remain his most precious jewel.

Glancing one last time at the sleeping child, Draco turned around to leave. The snoring had ceased when Draco entered their bedroom. Marcus lay on his left side, facing the door. In his sleep, the former Slytherin almost looked like an angel. Draco smiled at the thought: his lover, his gorgeous lover. Smoothly, Draco undressed and slipped under the covers, snuggling against his boyfriend. Marcus wrapped an arm around Draco's waist, kissing his brow.

"I'm so sorry, my darling. I didn't mean to hurt you, it's just that… I was so scared to lose you. I love you and our son so much, don't ever doubt that" Marcus whispered apologetically. Draco smiled and kissed his boyfriend's lips tenderly.

"I love you, too, Marcus. And I love Scorpius, too. Our son" Draco whispered before closing his eyes. Although Marcus knew his boyfriend's even breathing that he had fallen asleep, he kept murmuring tender words in his ear. Because nothing he could do, would repay the pain he had inflicted Draco. Never again, he promised himself, will you hit that beautiful man that is your boyfriend and the father of your child. Yet, not all promises were made to be kept.

**So, what do you think? **

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Look through my eyes**

_There will be times on this journey_

_Where all you see is darkness_

_But out there somewhere, daylight finds you_

_If you keep believing _

_/Look through my eyes- Phil Collins/_

The next morning, Draco woke up to the sound of his son's voice whispering in his ear.

"Daddy" Scorpius softly called, "Daddy, wake up" Draco cracked one eye open, noticing that Marcus hadn't left the bed yet. The blonde glanced at the clock and noticed that it was well past eleven. It was unusual for Marcus to get up late. Fear rose in Draco; what if Marcus decided to punish him because he had not woken him up? _No,_ Draco reassured himself, _he told you that he loved you. He regretted his acts. _

"Daddy" Scorpius called again, shaking his father a little bit. "Daddy, I'm hungry. You and father have been sleeping enough already. Come on" Marcus stirred next to Draco and eventually, he also opened his eyes. To Draco's surprise, he didn't yell at him, quite the opposite: he smiled at him and Scorpius.

"Good morning" he mumbled in a sleepy voice. Draco smiled back shyly. "Good morning" Scorpius looked puzzled and he asked in an inquisitive tone:

"Father, why are you not at work? It's not even week-end" Marcus chuckled and pulled his son in a tight embrace. Draco felt his heart swell with love at the sight of his two men entangled in a tender embrace. The blonde knew that, even if Marcus did not show it very often, he loved Scorpius deeply. He was his son and he would forever be his greatest pride. Scorpius gladly snuggled against his father. It was one of the rare moments where Marcus would show affection: One of those rare moments, when Marcus was not drunk. Scorpius' stomach growling furiously and the child looked sheepishly at his parents.

"Oh, now who's hungry here?" Marcus asked rhetorically, kissing the tip of Scorpius' nose. The child giggled and tried to break free from Marcus' embrace. "Daddy, I want to go to Daddy" he chanted, stretching his arms out for Draco. The blonde tenderly smiled at his little angel, gathering him protectively in his arms. Scorpius' stomach growled anew.

"Let's go and make you breakfast" Draco decreed, getting out of bed and holding Scorpius' in his arms. "You want anything specific, Marcus?" he asked his boyfriend, grabbing a T-shirt on his way to the door. "PANCAKES" Scorpius shrieked, making Draco wince in surprise. He smiled at his son, pinching the child's nose playfully.

"I know that you want pancakes, but father might want something else" Draco explained calmly. Marcus chuckled and got out of bed, planning on taking a shower.

"Eggs and toast will do, love" he called from the bathroom. Draco nodded to himself, carrying his son all the way to the kitchen. Scorpius kept having conversations with his stuffed dragon, asking him about god and the world. Draco loved to listen to Scorpius talking. It reminded him of how much his son was curious. He would ask Draco and Marcus the silliest questions and would, of course expect an answer. Most of the time, neither of his parents could provide him with the desired answer, so Scorpius would simply pout and ask his dragon. Then, the child would let his own theories run through his mind, always surprising Draco at how much they sounded logical.

Once they reached the kitchen, Draco placed Scorpius at the table and began to prepare breakfast. Narcissa had been the one to teach him how to cook when he was young. Draco had always liked cooking, something his father Lucius, had never understood or had never wished to understand. _A Malfoy does not cook,_ he had always told him, _we have house elves for that. _Draco got lost in his childhood memories once again. It often happened lately, that he would remember the silliest episodes of his childhood.

One day, his mother almost died from a heart attack after Draco had brought a small ferret back home. The beast had been roaming about Narcissa's flowers for over a week and eventually, Draco decided that he would take him back home, feeling compassionate with the animal. The moment his father found out, he took the ferret away from Draco and, in front of his son, snapped the animal's neck with two hands. The ferret fell back to the floor, dead. Since that event, Draco had never dared ask for a pet again. He didn't want another animal to suffer because of him. It had been horrible enough to see that ferret die by his father's hands. He didn't want to live the experience again.

"Daddy" Scorpius suddenly spoke. Draco started at the sound of his son's voice, but quickly regained his composure. "What is it, Scorpius?" He heard how his son pulled the chair back, stepping off it and walking to the Kitchener. Big stormy eyes stared at him from under big eyelashes. "Daddy, what is a whore?" Draco almost choked on his own saliva hearing his son's question. No, this couldn't be true, Scorpius couldn't have been listening to his and Marcus' conversation of late… could he? Draco turned off the Kitchener and put his son's pancakes on a small plate, along with some jam.

"Where did you hear that, Scorpius?" he asked, trying to sound as calm and unaffected as possible. The child thought about it for a minute. "Well, I… Daddy, I know you told me it's bad to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it, father was being so loud yesterday night…" Draco felt a lump built in his throat. No, Scorpius couldn't have understood their whole conversation, could he? He was too young, too naïve. Draco put Marcus' eggs on another plate before kneeling in front of his son, placing his two hands on each of the child's shoulders.

"Whatever you might have heard yesterday night, it's a word I do not want to hear in your mouth, Scorpius. If I am to learn that you've used it against somebody, I'll be very angry, do you understand me, boy?" Draco sternly said. Scorpius nodded his understanding, blushing under his father's intense gaze. "Sorry Daddy, I didn't mean to anger you" Draco smiled tenderly and embraced his son tightly. "It's alright, Scorpius, I'm not angry. Now go and wash your hands, your pancakes are getting cold" Draco let go of his son, who happily went to wash his hands and sit back at the table. At the same time, Marcus entered the room, hair still damp from his shower. The former Slytherin happily went for his eggs and it was then that Draco realized that he had forgotten the toast. Shakily, the blonde went for the toaster and some bread, waiting for Marcus to reprimand him, but the man silently waited until the slightly brown bread popped out of the toaster. Draco grabbed them with his hands, burning himself in the process. It didn't matter, though; being burned by toast was better than getting beaten by Marcus.

"Thank you" the other man said, devouring his eggs. Meanwhile, Draco went for the sink, pretending to wash his hands, in fact only appeasing his burned fingers. "Father" Scorpius asked, stuffing his mouth with pancakes. He started speaking with his mouth full when Draco severely told him to mind his manners. Scorpius processed in chewing his pancakes and swallowing them, before turning back to Marcus. "Why did you stay here today?"

"Well, I wanted to spend some time with you and daddy. I already don't see you often and I just… wished to be with the two of you"

_Good_, Draco thought, _if he doesn't go to work, he will most certainly not meet his colleagues in the pub tonight. _Scorpius nodded happily, babbling something about going to the park, but Draco wasn't listening anymore. Marcus looked suspiciously at his boyfriend, pointing out that Draco had been holding his hands a long time under the cold water. Quickly, the blonde closed the tap and dried his hands on his T-Shirt.

"I was… distracted, I'm sorry" Marcus' didn't seem satisfied with the answer and he promised himself to deal with Draco later. When he and Scorpius had gone from the kitchen to ready themselves, Draco let out a sigh of relief. _Dear Lord, I feel sore._ Draco hadn't yet taken a look at his face and he wasn't about to do so. He must look miserable, absolutely miserable. What if people in the park asked him about his black eye? What if they started talking and Marcus learned about it? He would certainly kill Draco for revealing their secret. Tears welled up in the blonde's eyes, but he quickly whipped them away and took a few deep breaths.

"Stay strong, Draco, stay strong. Don't cry, there's no need to cry. You know Marcus doesn't hurt you on purpose, he's always drunk. It's not his fault" Draco kept reassuring himself the way he always did when he felt like crying, while cleaning the dishes_. Stay strong, Draco, stay strong. _

"Alright, Auror Zabini and Auror Potter, you will work again in a group. Auror Weasley and Auror Finnigan will be the other group. Zabini-Potter group will check the cellars and Weasley-Finnigan group will check the first and second floor. Now go on" Kingsley Shacklebolt bellowed, sending his best Aurors off. Blaise didn't mind working with Potter, since he was a very good Auror and also, had become a very good colleague. Usually, when both were on a mission, they would laugh a lot, but would also work like professionals. But today, Blaise's thoughts kept drifting to Draco. He was sure that something was amiss, or else he would have returned his letter from the other day. Blaise feared that Marcus had found out that Draco and Blaise had met in Diagon Alley. This revelation would end in a round of beating and abuse, Blaise knew it. But he couldn't do anything to help his best friend. He felt so helpless, so useless… a clown not even able to protect his best mate and his godson. Oh Scorpius, poor boy he was. Blaise hoped that Marcus had not touched a hair from Scorpius' head, because Auror or not, the dark-skinned man would kill him. He would've already been dead for what he was doing to Draco, if it was not for the blonde haired man.

Blaise had never understood Draco's insistence in protecting the bastard that was his boyfriend. The blonde kept telling Blaise that he loved Marcus and the son they shared, and therefor he wouldn't want anything to happen to him. Blaise kept trying to make him see that Marcus would never change, but Draco was dammit again as stubborn as a pig. He wouldn't see the error of his acts. This attitude was the biggest change that had occurred in Draco since the end of the war. His usual arrogant and self-confident attitude had been replaced by a submissive one. He had changed so much for a bastard, for Marcus Flint.

"Blaise" Harry pulled him out of his reverie, "are you alright? It's not usual for you to be so silent and morose" Blaise looked at Harry and smiled, hoping he looked convincing enough. "I'm fine, Harry, just dead tired" but that didn't convince the other man.

"Mate" Harry started, putting a hand on Blaise's shoulder, keeping him from stepping further, "you can't lie to an Auror, especially not to me. You will not fool me that easily. Come one, what's up?" Blaise didn't want to reveal Draco's private life or something that would make the blonde Slytherin appear vulnerable. On the other hand, he wanted only the best for his friend, the one he considered the brother he never had. What could it possibly do?

"Well, Harry what would you do if someone you knew was being abused by his partner and he wouldn't accept your help?" Harry looked confused and his answer proved Blaise's intuition. "Well… I don't know… probably try to talk him into going to see the police or the Aurors. Why, you know someone in that situation?"

"Actually…" Blaise thought about the perfect alibi, "It's Pansy" he said suddenly. Harry lifted both his eyebrows. "You mean Pansy is being abused?"

"No you pigeon head, Pansy knows someone who's being abused… by his partner" Blaise added quickly. Harry nodded, although he didn't really understand Blaise's reaction. Something was foul in what the other Auror was telling him. "So, what do you have to do with it?"

"Well, it happens that I know that friend, but not very well. I… I'm just worried because Pansy can't sleep at night anymore so much she worries for her friend. And… yes"

"Huh, so since she can't sleep, you're the one who's tired?" Harry asked with an amused smile on his lips.

"I have to comfort her and… she became very demanding of late" Harry chuckled. " I see… well, you know Blaise, people who are being beaten by their partners often don't talk about it because they have children. Does that friend of yours…"

"Of Pansy's" Blaise quickly corrected, making Harry roll his eyes, "Alright, that friend of PANSY'S, does he have children?"

"Yes, a son I believe" Harry nodded. "And, does he love his partner very much?"

"Well, a little bit too much… eh, according to Pansy" Blaise acknowledged.

"Then there are almost zero chances to make him accept your help. Those people have such hope in them; it's difficult to truly understand them. They hope that they're situation will improve for the best and that they will one day be happy. You must first understand the person before talking to her or him. Does that help you" Blaise thought about the countless times he had tried to walk some miles into Draco's shoes and had failed. He was not in that situation; he had never been beaten before. Yet, he didn't want to talk about Draco's private life anymore, feeling like he was betraying his best mate.

"Yes, that helped a lot. Thank you, Harry" But the other Auror was not sure, if Blaise had told him the truth. He was acting strangely of late and he surely looked more and more tired every day. Harry wished to know what secret his colleague was keeping. And Harry swore to himself that he would find out: and every promises Harry made were meant to be kept.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Broken**

_I wanna run away from love_

_This time I've had enough_

_Every time I feel your touch_

_I'm broken_

_/Broken – Leona Lewis/_

**I was so surprised seeing how many people favourited and commented this story. It was a real pleasure to see all of them. Also thanks to all my followers, I hope I won't disappoint. So, I thought that I'd post a chapter at least once a week, which would usually be online on Saturdays or Sundays. I'll try to update the story as often as I can. Now, place to the third chapter.**

"Father, why won't we go to the park?" Scorpius whined, tears of frustration welling up in his eyes. Marcus had refused to take Scorpius to the park, claiming that the three of them could very well have fun while staying at home. Draco hated to see his boy cry, but he couldn't deny the fact that he also felt very tired and didn't want to go out.

"I already told you, Scorpius and stop being such a brat. I haven't raised you thus" Draco closed his eyes in pain, massaging his temple in the hope to get rid of his growing headache. Marcus' voice was slowly growing impatient and Scorpius' more and more high pitched.

"But Daddy promised that we would go this week" Draco felt his heart ache in guilt. It was true that he had promised his son to take him out this week. The problem was, the week was slowly coming to an end. Scorpius was not used to his daddy breaking his promises and Draco didn't want to make a habit of it. The boy was already being deceived by Marcus and Draco didn't want him to suffer because of him.

"Marcus, he's telling the truth. I promised to take him out. You may stay here for the day and I'll go out with Scorpius"

"Draco, the reason why I stayed here was to spend time with the two of you, not to rest. I won't go to the park" Marcus' voice turned angry. Draco flinched at the tone, yet feeling very bold, he replied: "Please, make an effort. Scorpius really needs to get some fresh air and he needs his father" Draco hoped he would change Marcus' mind, but he didn't hold much hope. Indeed, his boyfriend's face darkened in anger.

"I should make an effort?" his voice was dangerously calm "I should make an effort while I'm the one who works his ass off to get my family some food on their plates? I'm the one who should make efforts, while I'm the one who provides for the two of you. Draco, you're out of your mind"

"Well maybe, if you let me go to work, you wouldn't be the only one to provide for the family" Draco was getting angry, not accepting Marcus' accusations. The latter looked at Draco intently. Still staring darkly at his boyfriend, he addressed himself to his son.

"Scorpius, go up to your room and stay there until I come to get you"

"But father, I'm not even punished" Marcus then turned his gaze to the boy. Scorpius immediately quietened and slowly turned his face to Draco, pleading his daddy to step up for him. Meanwhile, Draco was scared to the death, his boyfriend's glare giving him goose bumps.

"Scorpius, I asked you to go up to your room and I expect obedience. NOW" Scorpius quickly turned around and ran up to his bedroom. Marcus waited until the door shut close to turn his gaze back to Draco. His jaw was clenched in a threatening manner and his hands balled into fists. Draco swallowed the lump in his throat, closing his eyes in anticipation. He was scared, really scared, but he couldn't show it: he wouldn't let his tears run.

"Your job is to stay at home and to look after our son. You are not worthy of having a job of your own. Your weak, you're too stupid to have a job of your own. The only thing you're good at, it's to look after our child, raise him. Your job is to raise our son into a son worthy of our blood, a strong son. A son that won't dote on his daddy" Marcus stepped closer, his voice becoming a whisper when he reached Draco's ear. His lips pressed against the blonde's ear, his length touching Draco's thigh. The blonde swallowed again, almost choking on his own saliva.

"You're my whore. Your job is to pleasure me. Your job is to bear my sons and to make them become strong, just like they're father" Draco shuddered at Marcus' words. He didn't want Scorpius to grow into a man like his father. Draco didn't want Scorpius to become a ruthless, violent man. Draco wanted Scorpius to be a gentleman, well-bread, ambitious. Marcus' hand brushed against Draco's cheek: "Mine to use, mine to torment" he whispered. His lips devoured Draco's possessively, undressing the blonde swiftly, quickly. Draco whimpered, which was mistaken by Marcus for pleasure.

"You like this, my whore? You want me to take you? You want me to use your worthless body. Why, isn't that a good boy" Marcus coaxed, when relieving Draco's length to his eyes, "already hard for me, are you?" Draco didn't answer: he knew better. Marcus quickly pulled his own trousers down, fisting his cock before impaling Draco on it, not caring to prepare him first. In that moment, Draco wished to die. He wished to end this torment. He was fed up with being bullied by the man he loved. He was fed up with keeping from crying at night, only because he didn't want Marcus to know. He was fed up with loving this monster, this abuser. He was fed up with his life.

"Yes, so tight" Marcus growled, pumping into Draco's body mercilessly. When the thought of suicide threatened to invade Draco's being, a picture of Scorpius flashed in his mind. And then, Draco promised himself to stay strong once again. Biting his lip, Draco let Marcus use him and claim him.

Scorpius had buried his face into the softness of his pillow, softly crying. He didn't understand why his father was being so mean to him and to his daddy. Because Scorpius was not stupid, despite what his father always told him. He knew that his daddy was being hit by his father. He knew that daddy was scared of his father. Scorpius so badly wanted to help his daddy, so badly wanted to make his daddy feel better. Scorpius often hugged his daddy, because he knew that his father never did that.

"Perry, what should I do?" the child asked his stuffed dragon. Scorpius pressed his ear against the toy's mouth, nodding sadly. "I know, it's so difficult. I don't want father to hurt daddy. Daddy is always nice to us; he doesn't deserve to be treated like an animal. I hate father" Again, the child listened to the toy 'speaking'.

"No, Perry, you don't understand. I hate father, even if he's my father. Maybe I could love father if he stopped hitting daddy. I could love father if he stopped being mean to us. But now, I hate him" The stuffed dragon didn't answer and Scorpius merely held him close to his chest. The tears and tiredness drove him once again to sleep.

"Blaise, I've given your story a thought" The dark-skinned man lifted one eyebrow, closing the file he was working on. "What story?"

"Well, the one you told me yesterday" Blaise nodded at Harry, encouraging him to continue. The raven haired man leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his neck like a cushion. His eyes closed in concentration. "I think that no one should suffer the violence of one's partner. Therefore, I decided to investigate the matter further… with your help" Blaise's stomach knotted instantly. "Oh Harry, really I think we shouldn't. It would just make the thing worse, don't you think?" Harry shook his head, his eyes still closed.

"We must help that person. We must help that person before it's too late" the Auror opened his eyes and stared at his colleague, "I won't assist to a death when I know that I could've done something. I won't let that person suffer when I know that I'm able to help her. And if you truly cared about that person, you would help me. So, what do you say?" Blaise swallowed and intently stared at Harry.

"What can I do to help you?" he eventually asked. Harry smiled.

"Well first, I want you to tell me everything about that person. Who is it?" Harry saw Blaise's hesitation and started to wonder, if he knew the person his colleague was talking about. "Harry, you must promise to keep this to yourself" After Harry had vehemently nodded his understanding Blaise took a deep breath and said:

"The person's name is Draco Malfoy"

**So, so, so? **

**To be continued… **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four : Anger and Guilt**

_Guilt is anger directed at ourselves._

_/Peter McWilliams/_

**Hello there! So happy to read your reviews and to see how many people like this story *yeah*. Special thanks to all the reviewers, followers and to all those who have favourited my story. You guys are great! **

Scorpius woke up some time later, his stomach making funny noises. A glance at the wall clock told him that he had missed lunch. Shakily getting up, the boy wondered if it was a good idea to go meet his daddy downstairs. He didn't want to see his father. He hated him and he didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Maybe, he should tell his daddy about his feelings. Maybe his daddy would take him away from his father. Scorpius decided that this was the best thing to do. Grabbing his stuffed dragon in one hand, the boy hurried out of his room and down to the kitchen.

His daddy was alone, but he acted strangely. Maybe the fight with Scorpius' father had been violent again. His daddy's eyes were red and swollen, his usually perfect hair was a mess and his nose was running. Scorpius could sometimes hear a small whimper coming from his daddy, followed by sobs. The boy couldn't bear to see his daddy cry. He had never seen his daddy cry. Usually, Draco would tell him that everything would be alright and that he didn't have to worry. Scorpius always believed him until the next fight. Until the next fight, his daddy would remain strong. Scorpius wished to be like his daddy when he grew up: tall, handsome and strong.

"Daddy" the boy called in a broken sob. Draco looked up, a look of fear in his eyes. Through his tears, he managed a smile. "Daddy, what is wrong with you?" The man's smile became reassuring as he dried his tears with his sleeve. "Nothing Scorpius, I… I just have a violent headache. I'll be just fine" Scorpius knew his daddy was lying. He was the one who always told him not to tell lies. Adults always told lies and didn't even felt sorry afterwards.

"Daddy, where's father?" At the mention of his father, Scorpius saw his daddy shudder. "He… he went to see friends"

"But I thought he wanted to spend time with us" Adults always told lies. They never stopped. Draco nodded helplessly. "He had people to see, it was important. People from work…" Scorpius lowered his eyes, clutching Perry against his chest. His voice was a mere whisper. "Daddy, I don't want to live here anymore" When he lifted his eyes back to his daddy, he saw that the latter looked at him in surprise. Maybe he had just said something wrong. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Scorpius, why would you say that" Scorpius wasn't sure if he should tell his daddy. What would his reaction be?

"I hate father. He keeps breaking his promises and he keeps being mean to me. I don't want him to be mean to me. And he's being mean to you as well. Sometimes, he speaks to you in a rude way. I hate him, I don't want to see him anymore" Tears ran down the child's cheek. It was out and Scorpius felt better. He felt better after he had let out his rage. His daddy's reaction puzzled him nonetheless.

"Come with me" Draco merely said, dragging Scorpius along. He led the child out of the kitchen and out of the apartment house. They passed the doors of Mrs Smithson, an elder lady who always gave Scorpius sweets. Next to her home was Mr McCarthy's, a young engineer, who was always absent. Stairs led down to the other floors and to the cellars. That's where Draco went.

Scorpius had always been afraid of the cellars. His father kept telling him that if he didn't behave, he might as well go and sleep there for the night. There were always rats and huge spiders in the cellars and therefore, Scorpius didn't fancy the idea of going there. He had never actually been in the cellars (thanks to his daddy's protection), but he had heard some other children talk about these horrible places. He didn't want to go there. However, he trusted Draco.

The two of them reached their own cellar's door and as Draco opened it, Scorpius realized that his ideas about the place had been preconceived. It was a rather small room, but the three little windows near the ceiling provided the place with light. The walls had been painted in white and there were hardly any spiders anywhere. Just a small one hanging from a thread and it looked dead, anyway. Perry was still firmly pressed against Scorpius' body. "Daddy, what are we doing here?" Were they going to live in the cellar until his father had calmed down? Was this their new home? It didn't look incredibly convenient to Scorpius.

"The anger and rage you're feeling is justified, boy" Draco knelt in front of his son, placing his two hands on each of the child's shoulders, "I know how you feel. My father also never kept his promises. My father was also mean to me" Suddenly, Scorpius saw his daddy get up and open the drawer from the nearby cupboard. The child didn't see what his daddy was doing, but he heard the characteristic noises of jars being pushed away. After a moment, Draco closed the drawer and placed six jars of jam on the top of the cupboard. Each was a rich dark colour. Would that be their food for the next few months?

"Auntie Pansy gave those to me some months ago, yet no one has ever found a use for them. None of us likes her jam, anyway" Draco took a jar in his hand and without warning, threw it against the nearest wall, making Scorpius jump. Draco turned to face his son, smiling reassuringly.

"Let your anger out, Scorpius. No one will ever know about it. This will be our little secret"

Draco threw another jar at the wall. Scorpius watched the jam stick on the perfectly white wall. It looked funny to throw jars at the wall. Without realizing, Scorpius took the jar his daddy was handing him and smashed it at the wall. It felt good to be able to determine those jars' faiths. Scorpius felt in control, powerful. Like his daddy, Scorpius threw another jar at the wall. It broke and fell in shattered pieces on the floor. A look to his daddy made him stop. Draco looked at him with tears in his eyes and a not so convincing smile on his lips. Scorpius also felt like crying. He couldn't hold his tears for much longer.

"Come here, my angel" Draco said, kneeling and hugging his son tightly, "you're strong, my angel. Don't ever forget that. You're stronger than any other child I know. It'll soon be over, this I vow. All will soon be over"

Sobs racked his daddy's body and Scorpius cried also. He didn't want his daddy to be sad. He didn't want anyone to be sad. He wanted to get away from his father. He wanted to have another family, with brothers and sisters. He wanted his daddy to smile again. But for now, he simply hugged his daddy and cried with him.

"Malfoy… You mean Draco Malfoy? He's… being… no I can't believe that he's actually being…" Harry stopped in mid-sentence. In a way, he felt satisfaction at the thought of Malfoy being punished for all the crimes he made in the past, but guilt quickly replaced that feeling. How could he be so cruel towards his nemesis? Alright, they were not the best of friends, but without Mal… Draco, he might not be here now. Without Draco, Bellatrix would've called the Dark Lord in Malfoy Manor a decade ago. It was thanks to Draco that he was still alive. He couldn't wish him any harm. Besides, no one deserved to be harmed by a loved one.

"Harry, you must promise not to tell anyone and not to act foolishly about what I just told you. Don't get me wrong, I want to help Draco, but even if he's being abused he remains the proud asshole he has always been. I vowed on my life that I wouldn't tell anyone else and that I wouldn't do anything to help him. To break a vow made to Draco Malfoy can be deadly for me and that's an understatement. If we want to help him we'll have to be discreet and act subtly" Harry wished he hadn't asked about that person. It wasn't of his business either. Why did he always have to know that which wasn't for him to know? That's what you get for being curious.

"Blaise, don't tell me you made the Unbreakable Vow?"

"I almost did, hadn't I been lucid that day. Harry, this is a really serious matter, we must act carefully, because if Marcus ever finds out, he might kill Draco"

"Wait a minute, Marcus like in Marcus Flint?" Harry asked. Blaise nodded.

"He has a child with him, Scorpius. Poor boy is in the middle of all their debates. I'm the godfather, so I have an excuse to go at the Draco's house and make sure that he's safe, but I can't be there all the time. If I come too often, Flint will hit Draco for being unfaithful to him" Harry couldn't believe what he was being told. This had to be a joke. And how could Draco…

"Draco is a guy, he can't have children. Who's the child's mother, can't she help them?" Blaise looked astonished but seemed to realize something in time. He leant back in his chair, sounding casual:

"In the Wizarding World, men can carry children. It requires a fairly easy potion, easy for those who can brew it. People that have a talent in potions, people like Draco finish this kind of potion in less than a week. Then you'll need some magic cast by the partner and eventually a healer, which in this case would be Theodore Nott in person. He made sure that the pregnancy went well for Draco. "

"And Flint hit Draco while he was pregnant?"

"No" Blaise laughed bitterly, "no, I believe he has controlled himself for nine months. That doesn't mean that Draco had a peaceful life. Even pregnant, he had to be Flint's sex slave and had to work hard to please his boyfriend. You can't imagine how much he has changed since school" Blaise's jaw clenched in anger, "all because of a little fucker. And you know what's worse? Draco affirms that he loves Marcus Flint beyond imagining. So naïve, so manipulative… and yet so strong"

Harry felt sick after Blaise had told him this story. He couldn't believe it, he still couldn't believe it. He wanted to help Draco, he was determined to help him once again, not only him, but also his son. The child didn't deserve such a life. It wasn't his fault after all. Harry wouldn't let his nemesis suffer, merely because they had had their differences in the past. No, no one deserved such treatment and as long as Harry could prevent it from happening, he wouldn't let Draco and his son be hurt by Marcus Flint.

"We need a plan"

"Waitress, another one" Marcus barked, pointing at his empty glass. A young woman generously poured him some Firewhiskey. Marcus was drunk, but it was the only way to calm his burning nerves. He emptied his glass in one go, spilling some of the drink on his shirt. It didn't matter anyway. Marcus drowned his anger in alcohol. It's the only way, he kept telling himself, it's the only way.

Marcus never meant to hurt Draco, but every time he did. It was not his fault if the bastard kept angering him. It wasn't his fault if Draco was so damn good-looking and made Marcus want to claim him every time they came closer. His boyfriend deserved a better treatment, yes, but maybe if he would listen more often to Marcus…

The former Slytherin asked the waitress to leave the bottle. He couldn't stand more alcohol, but he had to drown this anger and most of all, he had to make the guilt disappear. Draco deserved to be hit, to be claimed with force. It was the only way the blonde would understand what his role in their relationship was. His role was to bear and raise Marcus' children. He was doing pitiful work with Scorpius: the boy was soft, dreamy and clingy just like Draco. Again, Marcus drowned the guilt he felt in Firewhiskey.

Draco was weak! If he had a little bit of self-respect, he would run away with Scorpius. That was Marcus' theory. The bastard was too dependent to run away. He was weak, whiny. He wasn't worth more than any other whore in Knockturn Alley. Marcus drank more Firewhiskey.

Draco was stupid, worthless and only good to be used for Marcus' own pleasure. The man took another drink and swallowed it. Guilt, always guilt. Why did he feel guilty? Draco deserved this life of submission, or else God wouldn't have brought him on Marcus' path. Another drink and guilt, only guilt.

"Sir, I believe you've had enough" the waitress said, taking the bottle away. Marcus didn't even argue. Guilt, only guilt. What had he done? Another drink, his last drink. Without a word, Marcus paid his bottle and left. He wondered if Draco would welcome him home with fear written on his face. He wondered if he was still there or if he had found the strength to leave. Marcus wouldn't have blamed him if he had.

**Next chapters will start getting a little bit more interesting. I was wondering if the insertion of different point of views was a good idea. Is it not too confusing? Let me know. **

**TBC…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: The Plan**

_It is easier to build up a child than to repair and adult _

_/Anonym Author/_

**Hello people. Thanks for answering the question from the previous chapter and I enjoyed the constructive comments. I'll try to clarify the changes of POV this time. And in case it wasn't clear: this will turn out to be (mainly) a bottom!Draco fanfiction. I might add some bottom!Harry, I'll have to think about that. **

Harry came back home, exhausted and frustrated. He and Blaise had been trying for hours to find a smart plan to help Draco, but none of them could've worked out. Adding to their problem, Ron was suspecting something was up between his best friend and his colleague. Blaise had made himself clear, though: no one must know about Draco's situation. It pained Harry not to tell Ron and Hermione, but he didn't want to break the promise made to Blaise. The latter had turned out to be a very good guy and he and Harry had become close friends over the past decade. But that didn't change the fact that Harry still loved both his best friends (although they sometimes could be a little bit annoying).

Harry closed his eyes, in attempt to find solace in a well-earned sleep, not caring if he still had to wash and undress. Sadly, he had forgotten a small detail when coming home…

"Uncle Harry, I'm hungry! Come on, wake up already"

Teddy! Harry cracked one eye open, looking at his godson pleadingly. He grunted something under his breath, but the child merely rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Come on, Uncle Harry, it's late. Grandmother Andromeda would be mad at you for letting me starve to death, you know"

"Go and make a sandwich" Harry slowly came back to reality, stretching his arms and back.

"I'm fed up with sandwiches, you know. I've had them for the past week. If you could cook eggs or even pasta, I'd be happy. Please, Uncle Harry" Harry looked at Teddy and sighed in abandon. "Fine, we'll have pasta" How much he hated giving into his godson's every plea. He didn't know how the boy managed to always make him surrender to his every desire. Couldn't the boy have pity with his godfather? Harry was barely twenty-seven and felt like a fifty-year-old man. He wondered if every parent felt the same way.

While filling a pot with water, Harry wondered if there was a way he could help Draco. Maybe the blonde Slytherin would refuse his help out of pride… or maybe out of shame. Harry had never been in that kind of situation before. He didn't know how to react. His first thought had been to do a research on the Internet, but he knew he couldn't trust the sources. Maybe he could ask the help of a professional, a psychologist. No, far too obvious and a tiny bit awkward.

"What would you like on your pasta, Teddy?" Harry asked his godson. The child thought about it for a second or two. "I think I'd enjoy the Bolognese sauce" Harry nodded and opened the freezer, grabbing the deep frozen Bolognese bag. Maybe there was a way to make Draco speak to the Aurors about the abuse. No, even then, the Aurors wouldn't gladly help the former Death Eater. Harry felt frustration rise in him again. Why was he bothering anyway? If Malfoy really wanted all of this abuse to end, he would have run away by now. Why he was staying with Flint was beyond Harry and Blaise's understanding. Where had his pride and self-respect gone? Where are the times, when Malfoy would simply have it his way? He couldn't have changed that much for the love of a… an abuser. Harry raggedly threw the pasta into the boiling water, crying out in surprise when some of the hot liquid hit his face. Teddy jumped hearing his godfather scream.

"Uncle Harry, is everything alright?" he asked. Harry didn't give an answer, which worried the boy. Most scary of all, Harry was swearing loudly, something he rarely did when Teddy was around. He took a deep breath and took some ice out of the freezer. Teddy stepped a little bit closer.

"Uncle Harry, why are you so angry?" He received no answer, making him think that he was in trouble. "Uncle Harry, I'm sorry for being rude when you came home. I didn't mean to anger you, but I was hungry. Please don't be angry with me, I hate it when you're angry" Harry looked at his godson's guilty expression and smiled tenderly, ruffling the child's hair playfully. "I was not angry at you, child. I understand that you were hungry. By the way, I was planning on spending some time with you next week. It's true that I have been absent quite often these past few days"

"Really" Harry could see Teddy's excitement shine in his eyes. Teddy beamed as Harry nodded. He loved the way his godson made him feel happier every time he gave him that smile. It was hard to believe that this boy was a part of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

'Wait a minute… the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black… of COURSE!' Harry beamed when the perfect plan came to his mind.

"Teddy, make sure nothing burns, I'll be back in a short minute" Then he left his godson alone in the kitchen, hurrying to the living room. There, he snatched some parchment, a feather and wrote down:

_Dear Blaise,_

_I have the perfect plan you will not believe your ears. Meet me tomorrow evening at seven o'clock, 12, Grimmauld Place. _

_Harry_

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooO

"You did WHAT? Blaise, have you lost your mind? I mean, we promised Draco to never reveal his secret, how could you be so reckless and tell that Potter…" Blaise wasn't listening to Pansy's incessant reprimands. He was far too busy thinking about a good plan to save his best friend. His wife, as much as he loved her, could have at the very least tried to help him. If she truly cared, she wouldn't lecture him but she would try to help him. Blaise closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. There was no way he could help Draco without alerting Flint.

"Blaise, listen to me when I'm talking to you"

"Pansy darling, no offense, but while you're scolding me I'm trying to find a way to get Draco and his son out of an arduous situation. Now you may choose to help me or to do as if nothing was happening. Just know that I won't wait until Draco almost dies to help him. He already went to St. Mungo's because of his bastard of a boyfriend, but know that I won't let that happen again" Blaise's words affected Pansy more than she cared to show, he knew it. She stopped scolding him, instead pouring some Firewhiskey in two glasses and handing one to her husband. She then took a seat in the couch opposite him and began to think.

Both thought and thought for hours, sometimes suggesting their ideas, but always ending up thinking again. If only Draco had a little bit more of pride, the task would have been an easy one. Nobody's perfect until you fall in love with them. Blaise smiled bitterly, emptying his glass in one go. Love equals weakness. Falling in love means hurting yourself by default: So many sayings about love that matched Draco's situation. The blonde Slytherin was blind and oblivious to what was happening. In his eyes, Marcus Flint was a god, an angel sent on earth. Draco felt the pain, but hadn't left Flint yet.

"Something's wrong with that guy, I tell you" Blaise told his wife. Pansy nodded and took a sip of her Firewhiskey, careful not to make any eye contact with Blaise. "Stupid and foolish, that's what he is. You remember what he used to say about love?" Blaise nodded and smiled bitterly. "Only fools fall in love" Pansy laughed haughtily and finished her drink, before slamming the glass on the coffee table in front of her. She filled it again. "He's one of those fools now and see where it has led him. It led him to a life he hates. The only good decision he has made in the past decade was Scorpius' conception" Blaise remained silent. Indeed, if there was something Draco could be proud of, it was his son.

The two of them became silent once again, lost in their teenage memories. 'Why won't you let us help you, Draco? What's so difficult about letting go of that bastard? When will you see the truth of my words? Will you wait until it's too late?' A tap on the window caused Blaise to jump violently. Pansy turned her pretty face to the window. Outside was a little, dark brown owl, about thirty centimetres tall: Harry's owl. Pansy hurried to open the window, letting the small bird fly into their manor. It let an envelope fall onto Blaise's lap and begged Pansy for a threat before flying out again. The woman closed the window and looked expectantly at her husband.

"Well then? Who's the letter from?" she asked curiously. Blaise recognized Harry's scribbling. "It's from Potter" Pansy's eyes widened, but she didn't make a move. Instead, she patiently waited until Blaise had ripped the envelope open and taken out the piece of parchment. His eyes roamed over the letter, reading Harry's plan with attention, re-reading the letter twice to make sure he had understood every word of it. That plan was god dammit brilliant.

"Well?" Pansy urged. Blaise looked up at her, his eyes shining with excitement. There they had their plan. It was a fucking brilliant plan. Hope rushed through Blaise's body. They would be able to help Draco at last. Brilliant, fucking brilliant.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooO

Draco was worried. Marcus had been gone since noon and it was almost nine in the evening. Scorpius had eaten and been bathed. He was now getting ready for sleep. Once again, the child would go to bed knowing that his father wouldn't give him a goodnight kiss. It was not in Marcus' habit to do so, but on the rare occasions he did, Draco swore he would see Scorpius beam. There were some nights when Marcus would tenderly whisper the three magic words in Scorpius' ear and the child would fall asleep with a smile on his lips. That was the life Draco wanted to have with Marcus all the time, a life where the three of them could live happily together. Draco hoped that one day, his dream would become true. For now, he was worried.

The clock showed ten p.m. Draco had put Scorpius to bed an hour ago. He was worried for Marcus. What if something had happened to him on his way back home? What if he hadn't apparated properly? What if he had been attacked by some drunken guys? What if there had been an accident? Draco forced himself to calm down. Marcus was safe, of course he was. There was no reason to worry. The blonde grabbed the nearest book and started leafing through it. He desperately tried to concentrate, but could not. What if something had happened to the man he loved? No, Marcus was safe, there was no reason to worry.

The clock showed midnight. There was still no sign of Marcus. Draco had come up with a new theory: what if Marcus was being unfaithful? He was surely with another lover at the moment, taking his pleasure while Draco was worrying for him. A tear ran down his cheek and Draco dried it with his sleeve. "No, you won't cry for him anymore. He has an affair? Fine then, let him be. After all, you don't need him. You don't fucking need him! You have Scorpius, that's all that matters. You have Scorpius…Scorpius!"

It was only when the clock showed two o'clock in the morning that Draco heard their apartment door open. Marcus was home at last. Draco bolted off the couch and ran to the door. His boyfriend smelled of alcohol and of sweat. Where had he been? That didn't matter to Draco at the moment. Without another word, he threw his arms around Marcus' neck and hugged him close. "I was so worried about you" Marcus didn't answer and he didn't hug Draco back. That didn't matter, though: he was used to that reaction. But Draco understood Marcus' reluctance: after all, he was not used to this kind of tender attention. 'Why do you keep finding excuses?' a little voice in him asked, 'he doesn't love you'. Draco ignored it and kissed Marcus, tasting the alcohol on his tongue.

"Come have a shower with me, my love" he asked his boyfriend, whispering in the other man's ear seductively. Marcus smiled devilishly and kissed Draco back.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooO

"You think he will agree?" Harry asked Blaise, still a little bit unsure. All of this seemed so easy now.

"I'm sure he'll accept. I know Draco better than you do, Potter" Blaise reassured with a smile. Harry nodded and closed the envelope, sending his new owl Sid to London. The animal couldn't replace Hedwig, but yet again, no owl could replace Hedwig. Harry would have to live with it.

"I hope this will work, Blaise. You know, I may affirm that I hate him, but in fact I think I care for Draco" Harry admitted. Blaise lifted an amused eyebrow. "Since when" Harry smiled melancholically. "I think my hate for him vanished the day he saved my life in Malfoy Manor. It's a shame that he's been raised by his monster of a father. I'm sure he could've made a very good friend" Blaise placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Indeed! Once Draco considers you family, he'll do whatever he can to protect you. That's his true nature, although he'll never show it. It's because of that nature that it will be difficult to make him leave Flint. He'll keep trying to find stupid excuses to protect him" Harry sighed in approbation.

"I guess that's the foolishness of love"

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooO

Draco couldn't believe what he was just reading. Potter truly wanted him to meet Teddy? Potter was giving him the chance to meet his cousin? Why would he do that? Out of the blue, he decided that Draco needed to bond with the kid. The boy must be ten already, what was there left to bond? The child surely wouldn't accept Draco as a member of the family. There was no way he could integrate into Teddy's family. It was far too late for that. And yet, Potter's letter made him wonder. Maybe the child had asked Potter to write this letter to Draco. Maybe all of this had been Teddy's idea in the first place. Draco felt his heart warm at the thought.

He never had a family when he was young. His father didn't have siblings and his aunts from his mother's side weren't really… present in his life. Besides, who would want Bellatrix Lestrange as an aunt? She always scared the hell out of him. His mother's other sister, Andromeda, had always written letters to Narcissa, but never had Draco been allowed to meet her. Lucius wouldn't let him. 'She's a blood traitor, son, she doesn't deserve our attention'. But Draco's mother had always gone to see her sister for a few days, telling Lucius that she was having a short holiday in Milan. Draco had known the truth only a few years later, when he had overheard a fight between Lucius and Narcissa. How naïve he had been at that age.

Draco was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Marcus sneaking up behind him and reading the letter over his shoulder. It was only when his boyfriend wrapped his arms around his waist that Draco was aware of his presence. The blonde jumped when Marcus' arms touched his naked stomach, but relaxed when the familiar lips kissed his neck tenderly.

"You want to meet him?" he asked, referring to what was written in the letter. Draco nodded a little. "He's my family… I thought I had none left, but I forgot about my aunt Andromeda. The thing is…"

"Yes?" Marcus encouraged Draco to say what bothered him. The blonde sighed and leaned his head back on his boyfriend's shoulder. "I'm just scared she won't like me" Draco eventually admitted. Marcus smiled reassuringly and kissed the other man's lips.

"She will like you, Draco. There is no reason for her not to. I think it's a good idea to meet her and your cousin. Scorpius might find a new friend" Draco nodded, smiling softly. "Yeah, I'm sure our little boy will enjoy meeting new people. Marcus?..."

"Mmh?"

"Would you…" Draco took a deep breath before speaking, "would you come with me? I… I feel safer when you're around" Draco had the dignity to blush, but Marcus' affirmative answer brought him some comfort. "I'll never leave you alone, Draco. I will never let anything or anyone hurt you. Not even me" Draco smiled at his boyfriend and begged for a kiss, which was gladly granted.

Sometimes, Draco wondered what made him run back to Marcus every time. When his boyfriend took him back, he would always hurt him. Marcus had promised Draco a million times that he would love him and treat him better after every time they got back together. He had never kept those promises.

**Finally, Harry has a plan to save Draco. Now, will this plan work out? Naw, that would be far too easy… wouldn't it? Yet, what would the story be like if it wouldn't work out? Hmm… well, you'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out. **

**TBC… **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: An awkward family reunion**

_Ohana means family and family means that no one gets left behind_

_/Lilo and Stitch/_

**Next Chapter! Just to tell you that because of school etc., there will be only one chapter per week for now. But to compensate, they will all be quite long, or at least I'll try to make them as long as possible. I also wanted to tell you that I was touched by the amount of people supporting Draco. He really needs it, he does… he needs all of our love. **

"Scorpius darling, will you come here for a second?" Draco called from the living room. He didn't know how Scorpius would react to the news, but he decided that he needn't worry that much. Scorpius was a good kid, eager to meet new people, very sociable. There shouldn't be any problem at all. His son walked into the living-room, looking quizzically up at his two fathers.

"Have I done something wrong?" Draco was taken aback by his son's question and a glance at Marcus told him that his boyfriend felt just the same way. The blonde turned his eyes back to Scorpius.

"Why would you think that, Scor?" he asked. The boy suddenly took a particular interest in the floor and Draco had to concentrate hard to understand his son's answer. "When you and father want to talk to me it's usually because I've done something wrong: I didn't do anything, I swear. I don't want to be punished" Suddenly, Draco understood his son's reaction. It pained him to see that Scorpius feared his own father. It reminded him of his own father and his own childhood. It wasn't supposed to be like this. All could have been different. Maybe the fault didn't lie with Marcus, but with Draco. Maybe he had been the one to do something wrong.

"No, Scorpius dear, we're not blaming you for anything" Draco reassured his son. Scorpius visibly relaxed at his daddy's words. He wasn't in trouble and that was all that mattered. "Then why did you want to see me?" he asked, puzzled. Draco smiled at him, taking place on the sofa and encouraging Scorpius to do the same. Marcus remained leant against the wall.

"Scorpius, remember when you told father and me that you wanted a little sister or brother to play with? That you were bored on your own?" Draco saw Scorpius beam in joy.

"Are you pregnant, daddy?" he asked excitedly. Draco couldn't help but laugh at his son's question. He saw Marcus smile a little and that action troubled him. Marcus rarely smiled… tenderly. He was rarely tender. Maybe this time, he would keep his promise. Maybe this time, he would try to change…

"No Scorpius" the boy's smiled faded, leaving place to a disappointed look, "I'm not pregnant. It's a different surprise I was about to tell you. You know, my mother had two sisters. The two of them married, but only one had children. Since her husband wasn't… appreciated by my mother's family, I never knew them. But, I know that they had a child together, Nymphadora Tonks. She later on also married and got a child of her own. His name's Teddy and… he's in a way my cousin"

Scorpius hung to Draco's very word. Never had his daddy actually spoken about his family. So many questions ran through Scorpius' head, questions he needed answered.

"Why was your mummy's sister's husband not appreciated?"

"Well… that's a complicated story and I'll maybe tell you when you're a little bit more mature and older" Draco felt uncomfortable; he didn't want to tell his sons about the horrible things his own father had thought him when he was younger. He tried to forget that he had been a jerk to Hermione Granger and to all the muggleborns at Hogwarts.

"But daddy, I'm already grown-up, I can understand"

"No Scorpius. Another time" Draco's tone left no room for discussions, Scorpius realized. He decided to not investigate the matter further.

"And did that woman write to you?"

"You mean Tonks?"

"Yes"

"Well actually she's…" Draco stopped there, looking pleadingly at Marcus for help. The brown haired man went to sit down next to his son and he put an arm around the boy's shoulders. "Scorpius, Nymphadora is… she isn't from this world anymore. She went up to the sky" Scorpius frowned and looked even more confused.

"What about her husband?" he asked. Marcus explained that he had followed his wife in Heaven. Remus Lupin, Draco's former DADA teacher: one of so many who had perished in war. It was a sad thing to be reminded of and Draco shook his head as if to get rid of all those dark memories. Those days were in the past and he wouldn't suffer anymore because of them.

"But then, Teddy is all alone" Scorpius yelled in horror. Draco smiled at him in that reassuring manner, that always calmed his easily upset son. "No Scorpius, he lives with his godfather Harry Potter. Harry was the one who wrote to me and asked me to go and meet Teddy. I thought that maybe I could take you with me. Since you've always wanted to have someone to play with" Scorpius' eyes now looked excitedly at his daddy and back at his father, as if to make sure that this was not a big joke.

"Harry Potter? We're going to meet Harry Potter?" Draco smiled even more seeing his son's eagerness. He would miss Scorpius naïve innocence and gleeful spirit.

"Yes, we'll meet him. We're being awaited at his house in London on Thursday"

"But that's in three days. I can't wait that long" Scorpius pouted. Marcus ruffled his son's hair and chuckled. "You'll have to be patient, my son. I know it's a difficult thing to do, but at least try. In your life, you will often have to wait for something to happen" Scorpius pouted even more, making Marcus chuckle anew. Draco smiled. That was his vision of the perfect family. Maybe that meeting Teddy will be a major changing factor. Maybe that after that new 'addition' to their family, Marcus will start to calm down. Draco hoped, he truly hoped he was right.

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"I have a cousin?" Teddy asked bewildered. Since he was very young, he knew that he was different from the other children in his primary school. He was sure that he was going to be different at Hogwarts, too. But it wasn't his fault if he didn't have parents. He couldn't bring them back, could he? He wasn't like the second of the Peverell brothers from the Tales of Beedle the Barde: he didn't have a resurrection stone.

"Yes you have. His name is Draco and he's your grandmother's nephew" Harry explained calmly. Ron and Hermione were sitting at his site opposite Teddy. Their friend's sudden interest for Malfoy had shocked them but they had known better than to argue about it. Harry was a smart man; he certainly knew what he was doing. And they were going to find out someday or the other. There was certainly no reason to worry. Yet, Ron and Hermione couldn't help but wonder.

"What? But he must be at least thirty years old" Teddy said. Harry smiled a little but understood Teddy's reluctance: what was there to do with a thirty-year-old cousin?

"Yes, he's twenty-seven. But he has got a son, Scorpius. He's a little bit younger than you, but apparently he's very much fun to be with. You always wanted a little brother, didn't you?" Teddy nodded and his eyes had suddenly lightened up at the mention of a younger child. He had seen his school mates boss their younger siblings around. Of course, Teddy wouldn't be as harsh on Scorpius as his mates were with their siblings. He only wanted Scorpius to idolize him the way a younger brother idolized his eldest.

"Cool! Are they coming to visit us?" Harry nodded and Teddy beamed at his godfather. "Wow, I can't believe it. I'll have a little brother. Oh well, he isn't my brother, but it will be just as if. He'll be like my little brother and I'll be the best big brother he could dream of having. When are they coming?" The excitement in Teddy's voice was not to be missed. Harry told him that his new friend (or brother like Teddy called him) was to come on Thursday.

"Alright, that leaves me enough time to prepare everything. I'll need to think about games, about things we could talk about. Oh and of course, I have to write down a secret language that only he and I will understand. I have some work, I'll leave the three of you" With a kiss on Harry, Ron and Hermione's cheek, Teddy disappeared in his bedroom. It was only then that Ron spoke.

"Mate, you know that as long as you and Teddy are happy, then Hermione and I are happy but… we were just wondering why you had invited the ferret"

"Ronald…" Hermione scolded, but was being ignored. Harry had already a clear explanation in mind.

"Well you know, Malfoy is not that bad if you consider the fact that he saved our lives in Malfoy Manor and we saved his and Blaise's life in the Room of Requirement. So, I think that we've long passed the state of being enemies. Maybe we should officially become friends by becoming a true family" Ron looked as though he was about to throw up.

"Harry, the guy had bullied us since the day we've met him. You can't possibly believe that…"

"How about you'd tell us the truth, Harry" Hermione asked out of the blue, taking Harry by surprise. The raven haired man looked at his friend as though she had grown a spare head. "I… well err… I don't know what you're talking about Hermione. And by the way, I think that we're adults now and that we should forget about the past. Malfoy has certainly changed since the last time we've seen him. We should give him a second chance"

"A second chance Merlin's pants Harry have you grown mad? Do you have fever, because Hermione is one of the best healers in St. Mungo's?"

"I'm fine Ron and I will make peace with Malfoy if you want it or not. Now if you two would excuse me" Harry got up and left the living room for the kitchens to prepare lunch for his guests and godson. Hermione shot Ron a disapproving glare.

"Really, you couldn't have been a little bit more tactful"

"If you expect me to also make peace with Malfoy, forget it. I will never again speak to the guy" Hermione placed a comforting hand on Ron's thigh. "Honey, I'm not asking you to love him, I just want you to make an effort. Maybe he truly has changed"

"Are you really convinced about that?" Hermione bit her lower lip but eventually nodded confidently. "Give him a chance" Blue eyes met chocolate brown and Ron, like always, promised to follow his wife's advice.

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It was finally Thursday. Scorpius was excited and a little bit nervous. What if Teddy didn't like him? What if they found out that they had nothing in common? What if Teddy was being mean to him? But what impressed Scorpius the most was the fact that he was about to meet Harry Potter, the Great Harry Potter, Saviour of the Wizarding World. What if he made a fool of himself and disappointed the man? Or worse, what if his behaviour disappointed his daddy? He couldn't let that happen.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked, placing a strand of Scorpius blonde hair behind his ear. The boy nodded shyly. "Yes daddy, I'm ready. We can go" Draco smiled and took Scorpius' hand in his. The boy didn't like to apparate, but their fireplace wasn't connected to Mister Potter's and so, they couldn't use it. He always felt sick when he apparated. What if he threw up on Mister Potter's shoes? That would be embarrassing, wouldn't it? His stomach knotted in nervousness and he wondered if he wouldn't puke in their own apartment instead. His father would be mad. Or maybe he wouldn't say anything after all; he looked to be in a good mood today. He had been all week long, although he went to work and had been stressed. Maybe it was because he was going to meet Mister Potter.

Scorpius suddenly had the feeling he was being lifted in the air by an invisible hook. His surroundings swirled in front of him and his stomach menaced to reject his breakfast. Only the firm hold of his daddy's hand kept him from screaming. After mere seconds that had appeared like countless minutes to Scorpius, the whirls stopped and he felt more or less better. He was in an unknown house that looked rather ancient because of the dust on the portraits. In Malfoy Manor, his parents' holiday home, there were also numerous portraits. Some always looked suspiciously at Scorpius when he walked through the corridors at night. They scared him, but he had never dared tell his father or his daddy. Maybe the portraits would hew him for telling.

Another 'pop' resonated in the apartment and Scorpius' father apparated at their side. The three of them didn't stay alone for long, since a tall man with green eyes and black hair greeted them with a smile. A smaller boy stood behind him. His hair was… blue. Scorpius was shocked: never had he seen a boy with blue hair. That was strange. Teddy smiled at him and Scorpius shyly smiled back. Blue hair?

"Draco, I thought you wouldn't come. Teddy was growing desperate" Scorpius looked bewildered at the man talking to his father. Not many people were allowed to call his daddy by his given name. They would always call him 'Mister Malfoy', or just 'Malfoy'. In the streets, people would call him 'death eater', something Scorpius didn't really understand. He didn't know if there was any man called Deatheater, but that surely wasn't his daddy's name.

"I was curious Potter, as strange as it may sound. I wanted to… meet my cousin's son. I suppose you're Teddy" Scorpius daddy was acting strangely. Never did he talk in such a cold manner to people. The boy didn't like that sudden change of behaviour. The boy with the blue hair standing behind Harry looked into Draco's grey eyes, oblivious to his cousin's cold tone.

"Yes. And you must be Draco. May I call you cousin?" His daddy had not expected that kind of answer, Scorpius could tell. He took longer to retort.

"I think that Draco will have to do: It's a little bit strange at my age to be called cousin by a ten-year-old" Teddy thought about that for a second but nodded. His eyes met Scorpius'.

"Can I call you little brother, then?" Scorpius looked at his daddy, seeking his comforting eyes. Draco gave him a reassuring smile encouraging Scorpius to go towards the other boy. The blonde child beamed at Teddy. "Sure, but only if I can call you big brother"

"Absolutely! Come, let's go and play" Scorpius quickly followed the blue haired child, leaving his daddy behind. He didn't care about anything else at the moment: he had found a new friend. He even forgot about the great Harry Potter.

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Marcus watched as Scorpius toddled behind that strange boy. 'As long as he's happy, I'm happy, I suppose'. Draco moved closer to him, seeking his presence. Marcus liked it when Draco needed protection: it made him feel powerful and strong. Potter's gaze lingered on him, but Marcus wouldn't lower his eyes. Eventually, the former Gryffindor spoke:

"Fancy a drink? Follow me" Draco tensed next to Marcus. The taller man placed a comforting hand in the small of his boyfriend's back. Draco didn't relax, though. Potter disappeared in the kitchen and the two lovers followed him. When they were about to enter the kitchen, Draco abruptly stopped moving and remained stationed in the door way. Marcus lifted one eyebrow and looked into the kitchen. There, he saw someone he did not expect to meet at Potter's house. And the sight of that man sitting at the table next to Weasley and Granger didn't pleas him at all.

"Blaise, what a pleasure to see you here" the former Slytherin said, the threat in his voice unmistakable. Blaise's eyes fixed Draco. 'You take your eyes off him, Zabini' Marcus thought, 'Draco is mine!"

**Ups, I think I have to stop *angel face*. But the story continues next week.**

**TBC… **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: A lesson learnt**

Draco's heart froze in his chest. No, why was Blaise here? Why had Potter invited him? This couldn't be happening, Draco must be dreaming. Blaise couldn't have been invited at the same time as he and Marcus.

"I'm thrilled to see you again, Flint. I almost missed you. What a coincidence to see you here today, Harry didn't tell me that you two were coming" The other man's eyes met Draco's. A small smile appeared on his lips. "Hey man, how are you doing?" he asked. Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to give his friend the same smile back.

"I'm alright Blaise, thanks. It is indeed a surprise to see you here, I'm sure Scorpius will be glad to see his godfather again. It's quite fortunate indeed" Draco feared he must have sounded a little bit too overjoyed for he saw Marcus' hands ball into fists. He felt his heart backflip when he thought about the later punishment that would certainly await him at home. 'No Draco, Marcus promised he would never hurt you again'.

"Yes, where's my godson now?" Blaise asked, pulling Draco out of his reverie. To Draco's relief, Potter spoke in his stead. "Teddy keeps him hostage in his bedroom. He's so happy to have found a friend to play with. Scorpius seems to like him, I think we won't see them very much today" Blaise didn't answer, merely scanning Marcus suspiciously. Draco knew what Blaise thought about his boyfriend. He knew that his best friend wanted him to leave Marcus and start a new life with someone who would love him from the depths of his heart. But Draco couldn't bring himself to leave Marcus. He loved him too much and even though it was a hard thing to admit, he was depending on Marcus. Draco didn't have any qualifications since no Wizarding University would accept him because of his Death Eater status. He didn't have any chance to find a job in the Wizarding World. He also didn't have any money left and was living because of Marcus' salary and from the money his boyfriend had inherited from his parents. The Malfoy's vaults in Gringotts had been emptied by the Goblins. To be a Malfoy in the Wizarding World was not easy. Everyone hated you, wanted you dead. The Aurors would accuse you the first for every crime that would occur. The healers in St. Mungo's wouldn't accept you in their hospital. Draco had been left ruined and lonely… until Marcus came.

"Malfoy" Draco was brought back to reality by Potter's voice. Apparently, he had been trying for quite some time. "Are you alright?" he asked. Draco took some time to understand the question but he eventually nodded and gave the Boy-Who-Survived a small smile.

"Sure Potter, why do you ask?" Potter seemed determined to seek the lie in Draco's words and the blonde hoped that he wouldn't find it.

"You were lost in thoughts… I just thought that…" he seemed to change his mind about what he wanted to say and gave Draco a bright smile "Never mind. Come, let's sit down. Do you two want to drink something?" Draco was glad about the change of conversation and happily went to sit down next to Blaise. Marcus took place at his left side, placing a possessive hand on his knee. Draco's muscles relaxed under his boyfriend's touch and a small smile was on his lips.

"So I have coffee, soft drinks, tea…"

"Have something a little bit stronger, Potter?" Marcus asked. Harry seemed surprised at first. "Well, sure I do. I have Scottish Whiskey, Firewhiskey, Butterbeer, wine…"

"Firewhiskey is fine" Draco met Blaise's gaze and saw the worry in the darker man's eyes. He knew what Blaise was thinking and Draco shared his worries. Marcus was being aggressive mainly when drunk. The blonde smiled reassuringly at his best friend, who didn't seem convinced at all.

"And you Malfoy?" Draco was about to answer when he heard Marcus speak in his stead:

"He'll have a cup of tea without sugar" Draco preferred his tea with sugar, but he knew better than to gainsay his boyfriend. It was in Marcus' habit to speak in Draco's name. His boyfriend thought that sugar wasn't good for Draco's figure and he kept emphasising that he wanted his boyfriend to have a perfect body. Draco usually gave into Marcus' wishes, he couldn't help it. He was scared to do otherwise. He didn't want to feel Marcus' wrath.

There was an awkward silence, disturbed only by the noises of the water boiler and the clinging of the ice cubes in Marcus' glass. It was Hermione who brought it upon herself to break the ice.

"So Draco, what have you been doing since the end of the war?" 'Tactful as always, Granger' Draco said, although he knew that she couldn't know that his life had been miserable since the end of the war. But he thought that with her intelligence, she should've figured it out by herself. Or maybe she simply wanted to loosen the tension that was omnipresent around them.

"I'm currently staying at home with my son. I don't have much time for anything else at the moment" Hermione nodded, a polite smile on her lips. Draco felt the need to ask something in return just not to appear rude.

"And you, what do you do?"

"Oh, well I'm a Healer at St. Mungo's. I've been working there for the last seven years" she added with a smile. Draco felt a rush of jealousy rise in him. Granger had topped him again; she had become that which he had desperately wanted to become since he was eleven years old. Draco had always been fascinated with the human body and with potions. It came to him as an evidence to become a healer. But he had to give that up because of the mistakes his father had made.

"Charming" Harry put the cup filled with hot tea in front of Draco. To calm his burning nerves, the blonde took a long sip and was shocked to taste the sweet liquid. Potter had poured sugar in his tea.

"So Potter tell me, why did you ask Draco to meet Teddy now? I mean, you had ten years to do it and you choose today?" Marcus asked, sounding casual. Draco looked suspiciously at Harry and wondered how the dark haired man had known he liked sugar in his tea. Had his disapproval been so obvious?

"Well I have never been able to gather up the courage to write to you" he explained, looking at Draco again, "After the war I was not sure if you'd like to meet Teddy but now I think it could be useful for the boy. And I thought you might wish to meet your cousin" Draco smiled and nodded a little.

"I wasn't sure how to react to your letter I must say. I thought it was a joke and… I didn't know if Teddy wanted to meet me. I thought… that he had been forced to meet me." Hermione was the one to answer to Draco's words.

"In fact, Teddy was overjoyed to learn that he was to meet his cousin. And he was even more excited when he learned about Scorpius" There was a tender smile on Draco's lips when Hermione talked about his son. He remembered how much Scorpius had been eager and nervous to meet Teddy. If the boy was happy, then Draco was happy.

"So was Scorpius. He couldn't sleep last night" Hermione gave a forced laugh while Harry smiled warmly at Draco. The blonde wasn't sure how to interpret that reaction.

"He looks like a cute child" Harry said.

"He's the cutest child I know. He's nice and sociable, always a smile on his lips. He's the image of his daddy" Blaise was provoking Marcus and Draco didn't like that. Although he didn't always agree with Blaise, he didn't want his best friend to be hurt by Marcus. And Draco knew how ruthless Marcus could become.

"Indeed, he's just like his daddy" Marcus answered, "sometimes I wonder if I'm the other parent" Marcus said jokingly. Or at least, it should have sounded like a joke to the others. Hermione and Ron smiled, so did Harry. Blaise, on the other hand, glared at Marcus. Draco discreetly hit him under the table in order to make him stop.

"But I know that Draco would never hurt me in that way. He's the most faithful Slytherin I know. Potter, could I have a refill on this?" Marcus asked, handing the dark haired man his empty glass. Harry poured more Firewhiskey in the glass. Ron snorted ironically, earning himself a kick in the ribs from his wife. Marcus looked at the red haired man and smirked.

"Something you'd like to say, Weasley?" Ron didn't lower his eyes but he didn't dare to answer back. Marcus nodded superiorly.

"That's what I thought" There was another silence and Draco finished his tea. The laughter of the children rang to his ears. He felt a warmth spread in the region of his heart. At least the two of them were having fun.

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"What do you know about Hogwarts, Scorpius?" Teddy asked him, smiling warmly. Scorpius had felt happy ever since he had entered his new brother's room. The blonde thought he had never been this happy in his life. He had asked his father and his daddy for a little brother for as long as he could remember, but they had never acknowledged his idea. Now, he finally had a brother, elder yes, but it was a brother nonetheless.

"I know that it's a Wizarding School where you study magic. My father and my daddy studied there and Harry Potter, too" Teddy smiled knowingly.

"So, are you excited about meeting Harry Potter?" Scorpius nodded vehemently. "You are so fortunate to have him as your godfather, you know. But I wouldn't switch my godfather though. My godfather is the best, he always buys the best presents and he's being nice to me and daddy. I wished he was my father sometimes" Scorpius admitted. He saw the shocked look on Teddy's face and he wondered if the other boy thought he was crazy.

"These are no things to say. I'm sure your father loves you very much and he would be sad to know that you would like someone else as a parent" Scorpius shrugged as though the conversation was boring him beyond measures.

"My father is the meanest man I know. He's mean to me. He doesn't want me to have a stuffed animal and he doesn't want me to be carried by daddy when we're in Diagon Alley. He thinks I must act like a grown-up, but I'm just six years old. And he walks so fast I sometimes can't follow, therefore, daddy carries me" Teddy smiled patronizingly, putting a hand on Scorpius' shoulder.

"I never had parents. They died during the war. Harry raised me, but the kids at my school kept teasing me because I didn't have parents. You're complaining about having a strict father, but imagine how I must feel, I who never even had parents" Scorpius felt terrible. He felt really bad for complaining about his father. Because he knew that he was being a hypocrite. His father was nice sometimes. Sometimes, he would tell Scorpius how much he loved him and there were times, when his father would even play with him.

"I'm sorry Teddy" Scorpius apologized. Teddy smiled reassuringly: "It's okay, now you know that sometimes, you shouldn't complain about what you have because there will always be people in the world, whose lives will turn out to be more miserable than yours." Scorpius nodded and smiled in an apologizing manner at his brother.

"Father can be nice sometimes" he admitted. Teddy smiled at him.

"See, I was sure that he couldn't be that bad" The boys kept talking about Hogwarts and their lives, Scorpius making sure that he wouldn't reveal too much about his worries. Teddy was right, he was being a baby. He should be strong for his daddy.

"Teddy, Scorpius, lunch is about to be served" Harry called from downstairs. Teddy stood up and stretched his hand out for Scorpius to take. "Come, Harry's the best cook I know. I'm hungry already" Scorpius smiled and grabbed Teddy's hand, letting the elder boy pull him out of the room.

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**I didn't feel inspired, but I tried to make it interesting nonetheless. Don't be mad, but this week has been horrible and I'm just dead tired. I did my best. **

**TBC…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight : A simple request**

**Okay, this chapter might be a little bit shorter, I do really have a lot of work to do. But the holidays are near and I might find the time then to write a little bit more. Thanks for all the faithful reviewers, you really are motivating me. **

It had warmed Draco's heart to see his son wearing the brightest of smiles on his lips when he appeared in the kitchen. Teddy was dragging his new found 'brother' by the hand and pointed at the chair next to his. Scorpius gladly complied and both children had been talking all lunch through. Draco's eyes sometimes locked with Marcus'. Once, the blonde had smiled fondly at his boyfriend, but the latter had merely nodded absently. It was not in Marcus' habits to show affection especially when so many people were around them.

Lunch had gone well. Draco had chitchatted along with Blaise. Sometimes, he had felt Potter's gaze on him and it had disturbed. The raven-haired man was sitting next to Scorpius, who had been too shy to acknowledge any of his questions. Draco had reprimanded him and asked him nicely to answer the man's questions, but Scorpius had shaken his head in denial. The boy was simply too excited and most of all, too scared to say a word out of fear he would say something wrong. Instead, Scorpius had conversed with Teddy.

When all had finished their plates, Harry took out his wand, waved it at the empty dirty dishes, which all vanished into the sink to be washed later. Teddy and Scorpius asked if they could be dismissed, which the adults couldn't refuse. Draco was happy that Scorpius was getting on so well with his cousin. It was a good thing for the boy to make new acquaintances and to create new bonds with other children. Sometimes Draco felt sad seeing his son alone. Scorpius had wished a younger sibling and God knew Marcus and Draco had tried to have another child. After two miscarriages, Draco had lost hope and Marcus had understood that the blonde needed some time before they could try again. And as strange as it seemed, Marcus respected that decision. Maybe he did have a heart after all.

"Harry, I can't believe that you can cook that well" Blaise said, breaking the silence that had settled between the adults. Harry smirked a little, waving his wand at the cupboards. A bottle of Firewhiskey and six glasses swiftly landed on the table.

"I'm full of surprises, Blaise. There are many things that I can do that you don't know" The bottle floated in the air, serving each of the six adults a glass of Firewhiskey before disappearing in the cupboard again. Draco, who didn't like Firewhiskey a lot, only drank half of his glass before pouring the other half in Marcus'. The other man didn't complain, squeezing Draco's thighs in thanks.

"You don't like Firewhiskey, Draco?" Harry asked. The blonde looked up and shook his head apologetically.

"I didn't want to appear rude, so I tasted. Firewhiskey is a tiny bit too strong for me. I prefer cocktails"

"Well, do you wish anything else? I can ask Brophy to make a cocktail if you wish" Draco felt embarrassed, something he didn't show on the outside. The fact that Harry was doing everything to please him was beyond him. A decade ago, they had been arch-nemesis.

"No Potter, I'll be fine really. And who's Brophy?" As soon as Draco spoke the name, he heard a loud 'pop'. In front of him dressed in a worn red jumper, stood a tiny house elf. The little creature bowed to Harry, who apparently was its master, the tip of the creature's nose almost touching the ground.

"Master Harry Potter, what may Brophy do to please you?" Harry told the elf not to worry, that she could return to her quarters and amuse herself. Draco saw Hermione's glare upon Harry. He then remembered her fight in their fourth year against the use of house elves in Hogwarts. All these times seemed so far away.

"Harry, I…"

"I know Hermione, you don't need to tell me!" Harry interrupted before his friend had a chance to express what was on her mind. Draco was astonished at Harry's gentleness towards the little creature. Yet again, he was a Gryffindor and a man with a good heart. He couldn't help but to be good. Draco wondered if Harry's life was monotone. Being good all the time must be boring.

"But it's the truth. Harry you can't let her work for you anymore"

"Listen Hermione, I can't send Brophy away. I freed her already, yet she kept returning to Grimmauld Place. She likes working for me. She's a little bit like Dobby, you know…"

Dobby, yes Dobby. Draco had almost forgotten the poor creature. He felt rude about that. Dobby had been present since Draco's childhood. Every time he was being ill, Dobby had healed him and prepared him chicken soup. When he had hurt himself, Dobby had plastered his wound. It was then that Draco realized that it had never been his parents who had taken care of him, but Dobby. And he had never thanked the elf for it.

"Draco, are you okay?" Marcus asked, squeezing Draco's legs tighter. The blonde jumped and looked at Marcus in surprise. When he saw the worry in his boyfriend's eyes, he smiled reassuringly at him and nodded.

"Yeah, just lost in thoughts"

"You're being lost in thoughts quite often lately. What is the matter with you?"

"Don't worry, Marcus. I'm fine" Draco gave a final smile before starting another conversation with Blaise. Marcus kept quiet for the rest of the day, drinking his Firewhiskey in silence, never stopping to squeeze Draco's thighs.

When it started to get dark outside, Draco decided that it was time to leave Grimmauld Place. Despite Harry's insistence for the three of them to stay for dinner, Draco had politely declined the offer. Scorpius hadn't been all too happy about it, but hadn't dared fuss in front of Harry Potter. Draco sighed inwardly at the thought. Marcus helped his son with his jacket and formally wished Harry, Hermione and Ron a good evening. He didn't even acknowledge Blaise, merely giving him a nasty look. Draco on the other hand kissed his best friend's cheeks and shook hands with Harry and Ron. When he was about to leave, he heard Hermione's voice call him.

"Am I disgusting you so?" Draco turned around and didn't really know how to react. After what his family had done to Hermione, he didn't felt the need to tell her goodbye. He didn't want to remind her of dark memories she would have preferred to forget. His eyes met Hermione's and he was surprised to feel her lips against his cheeks seconds later. The young woman got on the tip of her toes and whispered in Draco's ear three words that destabilized Dracp.

"I forgive you"

Draco smiled and nodded courteously at her before taking Scorpius' hand in his and disapparating back to his apartment.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Marcus, there's something I have to ask you" Draco said, closing his book and throwing it on the couch next to him. Marcus looked up from the Daily Prophet he had just been reading, looking intensely at his boyfriend.

"Well sure, what is it?" His voice sounded astonished and Draco wondered if it was a good idea. In an impulse, Draco stood up from where he was sitting to go and settle on Marcus' lap. The elder man wrapped his arms around the blonde man's thin waist, placing a soft kiss on Draco's shoulder.

"Well, it's not easy to say, but… I've been wondering all day about it. I've never seen Scorpius so relaxed. I think that he's never smiled as much as he did today. He seemed to really like Teddy and I was simply wondering if… well if we could give him a younger sibling" Marcus looked at Draco in surprise. Indeed, he surely hadn't been expecting this kind of request.

"Well Draco, this is rather… unexpected"

"I know and it's not something to be taken lightly. I think that… that I'll be fine…" Draco wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure Marcus or himself. It was true that he was scared to be disappointed again, but he wanted to try. Marcus rubbed Draco's back soothingly, kissing the other man's shoulder tenderly.

"You're sure that you feel ready to do it? Last time we tried it…"

"I know what happened Marcus" Draco interrupted a little bit too harshly. He didn't like to be reminded of his failures. Because that's what they had been: failures. He hadn't been able to keep these two unborn babies alive. It couldn't be that difficult, yet he had failed. Although Marcus was gainsaying that last statement, Draco knew that Marcus was blaming him for the loss of their children. How couldn't he? It had been their children's lives. Draco had failed.

"Draco, we don't have to do it now. We can wait another year if you wish. I understand if you don't want to…"

"No you don't understand. And I know that you want these children more than anything else. Don't you remember? I am to bear your sons, your strong heirs. Marcus I feel ready and if I don't do it now, I will never feel ready again. Please, don't try to dissuade me, I want to try" Draco looked pleadingly at Marcus, who didn't know how to react to this assault. It was true that he, too, wanted desperately to have another son or even a daughter. After Draco's two miscarriages, he too had started to lose hope. Yet he was human, he understood Draco's reluctance. The fact that he wanted to try again troubled him. He didn't want to be disappointed again.

"Okay" came the elder man's soft reply, "Okay we'll give it a try again. But Draco I don't want us to be deceived again. We must not get our hopes up before we're sure" Draco nodded, beaming at his boyfriend.

"And we won't tell Scorpius about it until we're sure. The way we've always done. But this time, I won't fail" The blonde added to himself. Marcus sighed and passed his hand through Draco's hair.

"It wasn't your fault, Draco. You couldn't have planned that…"

"I should've protected them" Marcus knew it was useless. He didn't want to fight with Draco. For now, he would let him get away with it. They would try to have another baby once again and Marcus prayed, yes he prayed, that it would work this time.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Bye Harry, see you next week" Hermione said, kissing her best friend's cheek and hugging him close. Ron simply tapped him on the shoulder, smiling warmly at him.

"See you mate"

"See you" Harry answered, looking how his friend disappeared in a loud 'pop'. Blaise hadn't yet left Grimmauld Place and since Draco had gone with Scorpius and Marcus, he hadn't spoken a word.

"Blaise, what is it?" The taller man looked at him and Harry noticed his balled fists.

"Have you noticed? Marcus controls Draco!" Harry sighed and fell ungraciously on the sofa next to Blaise. "Yes, I've noticed. Listen, Marcus hasn't specifically tormented Draco today, so there's nothing we can do!"

"That's untrue. We can take him to the Ministry and accuse him of violence…"

"Blaise, what do we have against him? Exactly absolutely nothing: we must wait and investigate and Scorpius is the perfect excuse. Poor boy, I wish there was another way. But if we want to save Draco, we'll have to use him" Blaise sighed and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.

"I hate seeing Draco like this. Once, he was an arrogant and self-confident brat and I loved that Draco. He was my best friend. He's still my best friend, but you can't imagine how much he's changed. I hate seeing him like this" Harry wondered if there was not more to Blaise and Draco's relationship. He didn't want to ask, though, out of fear to appear rude. Instead, he placed a soothing hand on Blaise's shoulder.

"We'll get him back. Don't worry, I also preferred the old Draco. I'll do everything that's in my power to get the old Draco back. We're in this together. We won't give up!" Blaise nodded and pressed his eyes shut. Harry realized that he didn't want to shed tears.

"I so hope so!"

"We'll get the old Draco back, no matter what. Impossible is a word unknown to me. I am Harry Potter, after all!"

**Here you go **

**TBC…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine : Where are the times when…**

**Hey. Right I have something to say concerning this story. Well, first you must know that I've never been in that kind of situation before and therefor the story is based on facts I've seen on TV or read in books and so on. I'm really sorry if there are some misunderstandings or imperfections. It's just that I inspire myself on things I've been told and I've read. So yeah, if there are some mistakes, feel free to tell me so that I won't make the same mistakes again. I still hope that the story is good nonetheless. Thanks for faithfully reviewing. **

As long as Harry could remember, he had never really been attracted by men. Surely there had been many good-looking boys at Hogwarts, but never had he considered dating them. Not until some years ago that was, when Harry had been dragged into a muggle gay club by Seamus Finnegan. Believe it or not, Harry hadn't wanted to go to this night club. He then had been sure that Seamus was planning something evil and devilish to embarrass Harry. But eventually, the Boy-Who-Lived had given into his friend's pleas and had accompanied him to 'The Blue Lagoon'. Still today, Harry remembered all too well how out of place he had felt.

When they had entered the night club, Harry had been astonished to see how many men were actually looking at the two of them. Seamus had had acquaintances with a few men present that night. They all had greeted him in the most intimate of manners, kissing the Irish on the cheek or even worse, on the lips. Some had shot Harry jealous and evil glares. He had then started to believe that these men thought he and Seamus were in a relationship. To Harry, the possibility had and still sounded so wrong.

Oblivious to his one night stands' glares, Seamus had led Harry in a far corner of the club and had ordered the two of them a Tequila shot. Harry, who had of course already drunk such strong alcohol before, couldn't have refused the generous offer. He had drunk until his nervousness had somehow quelled and when he had started to relax, Seamus had asked him for a dance. Harry, already a little bit dizzy because of the amount of alcohol he had had in less than half an hour, followed his mate on the dance floor. The songs the DJ had played had been completely different from what Harry was used to listen to, more dynamic and more rhythmic. Also the way Seamus had moved against the other men's bodies, sinking low before suddenly pulling back up with a teasing grin. Harry had been surprised at how much he had enjoyed the sight.

Indeed, that night had been a revelation for Harry, who had tried to ignore the feelings he got when a rather nice looking man passed him in the streets. He had decided not to tell his friends, afraid of their reaction. He had preferred to wait until he was settled. If he dated a girl, he wouldn't ever tell them about it. The story would be a different one should he one day date a man.

When Draco had visited him on the previous week, Harry had felt strange that was for sure. Strange, because he hadn't seen Draco in ten years and he had been surprised at how much the blonde had changed. Changed in the best physically, yet Draco had also changed mentally, developing a more shy character over the years, more submissive it seemed. It somehow worried Harry to know that Draco Malfoy could change so drastically. He would never admit it, but he missed the quarrelling he and Draco used to have at school. It wasn't even fun anymore to speak to him without hearing his arrogant and rude replies. Yes, Harry missed not to be called 'scarhead' anymore. He missed the feeling of anger that rose in him every time that Draco would be rude to him or to his friends. He missed all of that and he missed so much more. Blaise was right, they had to do something and quickly… but how? They didn't have any evidences against Marcus. He had not been rude towards Draco on the previous week. Besides, the Ministry would never believe Draco would he claim that Marcus beat him. Draco was a former Death-Eater and the scars left behind by this destructive war were still fresh. Many in the Ministry would leave Draco to his faith, claiming that it was all he deserved. But maybe if they were to hear that a child was involved, they would change their minds. Hermione could make everybody change their minds, but yet Harry would have to tell her about Draco's situation. Blaise had been clear: he mustn't tell anyone.

Harry buried his face into his hands, groaning in frustration. This situation was complicated. Why was nothing in life easy? Why couldn't they all be left alone? Maybe Harry should have kept his curious nose out of Malfoy's business. Then, he wouldn't have to worry so much about his former arch-nemesis and all would go for the best. As egoistic as it might sound, it was the truth. As soon as the thought had crossed his mind, Harry felt guilty. No, he had been right to enquire about Draco. Now, he and Blaise could work together to help the blonde escape this critical situation. They needed another plan. Harry thought and thought, developing ideas in his mind before rejecting every single one. Think of the solution, not the problem.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in concentration, listening to the soft tick-tacks of the wall clock and the cracking of the burning wood in the fireplace. Think of the solution, not the problem. They needed Draco to confess about Marcus' abuses, if he was really being abused. Harry wasn't sure if Blaise wasn't overreacting, yet a little voice in his head told him that Draco was in danger. He had always had the talent for these things. Draco needed to confess, or at least they needed a proof that he was being beaten. Scorpius! If something was happening at home, then Harry would find out through Scorpius. The child loved his daddy that was obvious. If Marcus was hurting Draco and Scorpius had knowledge of it, then it was just a matter of time before Harry would find out. He was an Auror after all and he was used to thick headed criminals. The difference was that Scorpius was no criminal, but a witness. Witnesses often feared for their sakes. It wouldn't be any different with the child, but Harry had to try. Determined, he got up from the couch and went to his study. There, he waved his wand at the red writing feather on his desk and dictated:

_Dear Draco,_

_Last week was great! Teddy was so happy to meet you and Scorpius. He hasn't stopped talking about you two since…_

Harry wasn't lying: Teddy had really been talking all week long about his new found brother and his far elder cousin. As far as he could remember, Harry had never seen Teddy this happy and this excited.

… _He wishes for Scorpius to spend some time at Grimmauld Place. You know children, ever so eager. I must admit that I wish for Scorpius to come as well. I think I actually like the boy too much for my own sake. He's a sweetheart really, you've done a great job raising him. _

Harry stopped in mid-sentence, thinking about what he could write next. This all sounded so wrong, so fake. He felt really bad for using a child in such manner. Yet, it was for its own future as well.

_I think that we should bury the hatchet you and I. We're grown-ups now and we should be able to act that way. I think that we can do that through our children. That is if you agree. I apologize for everything and I forgive you also for everything. I understand that you had no other choice. I won't judge you on your past if you won't judge me on mine._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry_

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It was wrong! He really shouldn't be doing this. He couldn't simply forget what happened in the past. It wasn't so easy. There were things that couldn't be forgotten and there were things that should not be forgotten. Draco didn't know how to react to Harry's letter. Of course he wanted to make peace and he also wanted for Scorpius to be happy, but that wasn't so easy. He was a former Death-Eater and Potter was the World's Saviour. Something was wrong with Potter. Why did he keep writing to Draco? Why couldn't he simply leave him alone?

"Daddy, who's the letter from?" curious Scorpius asked, having stopped eating his lunch. Draco didn't answer; it was barely if he heard his son at all. Why was Potter being so nice to him? Draco had done nothing to deserve the other man's pity.

"Daddy" Scorpius called louder, frowning worriedly. When Draco still didn't react, Scorpius started to truly panic.

"DADDY" Draco jumped when his son screamed at him. He looked at the child and saw his angry glare upon him. Draco walked to where Scorpius was sitting and placed a soft kiss on the child's hair.

"It's a letter from Mister Potter. Teddy wants you to spend some time at his house again. Would you like that?" When he heard this, Scorpius' eyes went wide and the child eagerly nodded his approval.

"Yes daddy, I would like that very much. I'll be nice, I promise. I'll even clean my room and go to bed without a fuss. Please daddy, let me go and see Teddy again!" Draco smiled fondly at his son and ruffled the pale blond hair.

"I must talk to your father first, but I'm sure that he'll agree to it. So, you like Teddy a lot?"

"Yes, he's nice to me and he tells me stories about Hogwarts. He's going to turn eleven in April and in September he'll attend Hogwarts for the first time. He told me that he was excited and then he started to tell me how cool it was going to be. Daddy, I want to go to Hogwarts, too!" Draco chuckled at the last statement, ruffling his son's hair anew.

"Believe me, you still have plenty of time. Besides, you wouldn't want to leave your daddy alone, would you?"

"You're being silly daddy, I will never really leave you alone!" Draco smiled even more at his son's promise, hoping that Scorpius wouldn't forget about it throughout the years.

"Daddy, when will you ask father?" Scorpius asked after some minutes of utter silence. When Draco was about to reply, he heard a well-known voice in his back.

"Ask father about what?" Draco turned around and smiled at Marcus, going to kiss him on the lips. The other man stiffened at the gesture, the way he always did. Draco was used to it, but he knew that Marcus didn't really mind. He was simply not used to it.

"Hello you" Draco said, kissing Marcus' cheek. The elder man placed a large hand on the small of Draco's back, keeping him close to him.

"What is it you wanted to ask me?" Draco leaned his head on his boyfriend's chest and closed his eyes. "Teddy wants Scorpius to spend some more time at Grimmauld Place. Scorpius promised me the moon if we agreed to let him go" Marcus stiffened even more and Draco wondered if he had said something wrong. He deliberately didn't mention Potter as to not angry Marcus.

"When shall that be?"

"There's no date in the letter, so I suppose that it's up to us" Draco covered Marcus' ear with his lips, making sure that his voice was but a mere whisper when he told him: "We could then be working on that baby I promised you" Marcus chuckled and pushed Draco away from him, looking him deep in the eye. Draco was scared that his boyfriend would deny their son the pleasure of seeing his new friend, but he was surprised when Marcus actually agreed.

"Alright then, we'll see for it Scorpius" The child screamed in glee, tumbling off his chair and embracing his father and his daddy tightly.

"I love you! The two of you!" Draco couldn't supress a smile when he saw Marcus gentle eyes upon their son.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO

Marcus felt threatened. That Potter was starting to get on his nerves. After Scorpius had left the kitchen, Marcus had asked Draco to see the letter. Without questions, the blonde had given it to him before disappearing in the bathroom claiming he needed a shower. When Marcus had finished reading the letter, he felt his blood boil in his veins. How dared that Potter write to HIS Draco? How dared that scarhead even talk about THEIR son in such a way? And why did Draco seem so eager to send Scorpius over there?

"SLUT" Marcus shouted, tearing the letter apart and throwing it away. Draco would not get away with this and he wouldn't take his son away from him. Angrily, Marcus walked to the bathroom from where he could hear the rustling sounds of the shower. He couldn't control himself anymore, feeling like a lion whose territory had just been stepped on. He opened the door roughly, unclothing himself quickly and stepping into the shower cabin with Draco. The blonde yelped in surprise when he felt Marcus fist his hair and yank his head back. Marcus whispered in a dangerously low voice in Draco's ear.

"You slut thought that you could get away with this so easily, did you?" Draco whimpered, looking at Marcus in confusion.

"Marcus I… what the hell?..." Draco tried to fight his boyfriend's firm grip, which only made Marcus even angrier.

"You perfectly know what I'm talking about, SLUT! You enjoy it, don't you? You enjoy the fact that so many men desire you. First Blaise, now Potter. You truly are no more than a slut"

"What, but… Blaise is… married to Pansy and Potter is not even… gay!"

"LIAR" Marcus pressed his erected member against Draco's tight opening, fisting it quickly before impaling the blonde on it. Draco bit his lip to avoid from screaming, letting out a muffled moan.

"Slut, you like that, don't you? When I take you roughly… neither Blaise nor Potter could fuck you the way I do!" Marcus started to move in and out of Draco's core, fisting the other man's cock rhythmically. Draco panted and sometimes moaned, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. Marcus was crushing all his hopes of a better future. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Why wouldn't his boyfriend trust him more?

"God so tight… come for me my pet, spend your seed over my hand! I want to see you kneel before me and lick your own semen from my hand" Draco moaned even more, feeling even more aroused. He felt ashamed, dirty and stupid. He craved for Marcus' touch, but he wished that his boyfriend would be tenderer, more loving. In minutes, Draco came in Marcus' hands, soon followed by his boyfriend. Submissively, Draco turned around and went to his knees, took Marcus' hands in his and started licking and kissing those long and slender fingers.

"Good boy" Marcus coaxed, "what a beautiful sight you make. Know that I won't let you leave me, my pet. You're mine" he then hissed. Draco cried more when Marcus left the shower cabin for their bedroom. He cried still when he himself got out of the cabin, drying his wet and weary body. When Draco saw his reflection in the mirror, he felt like crying more. This was not him! This was a mere shadow of himself. Where had his self-confidence gone? Where was his charismatic allure, his handsome smile? Where were the times when he, Draco Lucius Malfoy, was still a desired and honourable man?

**So yeah here yet another chapter**

**TBC…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Because I am Harry Potter**

**Yeah chapter ten! Whoop I'm so proud of my story so far and the reviews keep making me very happy. Anyway, here your tenth chapter in the hope that you all had a nice apocalypse. **

Harry finished signing some important papers for work before eventually putting his feather aside. His neck was sore as well as his hands. He had been writing all day long, finally getting his mind off Draco. Harry couldn't figure out why the blonde was haunting his thoughts day and night, even finding a way into his darkest nightmares and his most wonderful dreams.

Harry groaned in frustration and suddenly got up from his chair, quitting his study to snatch some fresh air. His stomach growled furiously, startling Harry a little. He looked at his watch and realized that it was well past lunch time. Quickly, Harry walked to the kitchen where his godson was already eating a self-made sandwich. Harry looked at him apologetically, but Teddy merely smiled.

"Sorry, I just had to finish that paperwork"

"It's okay, I'm able to make a sandwich, you know. I'm not five anymore" Teddy took another bite of his sandwich and chew carefully. Harry smiled at his godson and opened the fridge, grabbing jars of jam and peanut butter. He placed the two jars on the table and went to fetch some white bread and a knife. Then, he took place next to Teddy, unscrewing the first jar containing the jam.

"Are you finished with your paperwork now, uncle Harry?" Teddy asked. Harry nodded absently.

"Great, so we may to Cousin Draco's house today" Harry stopped his activity to look at Teddy's serious features. Why would he want to go to Draco's house today? Harry hadn't even gotten a reply to his letter.

"And why should we go to Malfoy's house?" Teddy stuffed the last bit of sandwich in his mouth, swallowed it and started to speak as though Harry was a foreigner who didn't understand English.

"Because Draco has lost his bracelet" Harry cocked his head to the left, lifting his eyebrows in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Teddy sighed and pushed his chair back, his hand disappearing inside his jumper pocket and pulling out a smart silver bracelet..

"Where did you find it? And how do you know it's Draco's?" Harry asked. Teddy put the bracelet on the table for Harry to see. "Well, it was here on the kitchen floor. And I suppose the fact that Draco was wearing the bracelet can't possibly mean that it actually belongs to him. I mean, that would be too obvious, wouldn't it?" Harry smirked at his godson, ruffling his hair playfully.

"Also there's something written on its back. Look…" Harry turned the piece of jewellery around and saw that there was truly a small engraving on its back. _Narcissa Black. _The name was well-known to Harry, yet he didn't understand why Draco would wear his mother's bracelet. From what he knew, both had never been terribly close. At least, that's what Harry had thought at Hogwarts since Draco seemed to show off his father a little bit too much. Maybe he had been mistaken on that point.

"Harry?" Teddy's voice brought the man out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Teddy?"

"Is that Narcissa Black the sister of granny?" Harry smiled softly at his godson, nodding softly. "Yes indeed, this is her. She was a beautiful woman as I recall and also very brave and beyond intelligent. She saved me from Voldemort" Teddy's eyes shone in excitement.

"How so" he asked. Harry looked at the bracelet and got lost in his memories once again. He knew that Teddy saw him as a hero and loved to hear the tales of him defeating Voldemort. But Harry still believed that killing a man, no matter how many people that man had killed before, was not an act of bravery but of cowardice.

"When I went to meet Voldemort in the forest at the Battle of Hogwarts, he tried to kill me. The spell hit me, but the protection of my parents and of my own godfather kept me from dying. Narcissa lied about my death and Voldemort believed her. But in return, I had to tell her if her son was still alive. I couldn't be sure, because I didn't know what had happened after I left but I think that… maybe…" Harry was at loss of words and Teddy looked at him eager to know more. Harry met his eyes and completed his sentence: "… maybe I hoped that he was not dead" The sudden realization hit Harry's mind brutally. Had he wished for Draco Malfoy, his nemesis and the one whom he had despised since his first year at Hogwarts, to survive? He wasn't making any sense, he knew it and Teddy was quick to point that out.

"But I thought that you hated Draco" Harry nodded.

"Yes I did, but… somehow I couldn't bring myself to see him dead. I just thought that… yes he made mistakes and he… has made bad decisions but if he did so it was to protect his family. I couldn't blame him for what he had done… somehow I knew that he had no other choice and I didn't want him to be punished for a crime he didn't commit"

"It's also therefor that you saved him in his trial?" Harry was surprised that Teddy knew about that part of the story, but the child had certainly asked Hermione for some information.

"Yes! He didn't deserve to go to Azkaban. We were but children and we had been forced to fight a war we didn't want to be involved in. Also, Draco and I… might not be so different at all. He and I were scared of an enemy greater than death. He and I fought for the ones we loved…" Harry suddenly looked into Teddy's quizzical eyes and smiled reassuringly. "But don't worry about that, buddy. I will take the bracelet back to Draco's, would you care to join me?" Teddy eagerly nodded, a smile appearing on his lips.

"I will see Scorpius again"

"Indeed you will" Harry couldn't help but laugh when Teddy screamed joyfully.

"Wait here, I'll be ready in a few minutes"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO

Where was it? He had been looking everywhere, yet it there was still nowhere to be seen. Think, Draco, think! He remembered wearing it at Potter's house, but what came after was a blur of memories that had nothing to do with the bracelet. Draco remembered Potter's warm welcome, he remembered Scorpius gleeful expression and the favour he had asked Marcus on the same night. He remembered the abuse of the previous day and how his boyfriend had almost choked him after the scene in the bathroom. He remembered all of this and the memories brought tears in his eyes. He looked up in the mirror. Where were the times when Draco Malfoy would simply get it his way? His fingers went to touch the bruises left by Marcus' hands on his throat. They had turned an ugly shade of purple.

"Draco, are you okay?" Draco looked fearfully at the door. He could hear Marcus' footsteps walk down the corridor to their bedroom. Quickly, he grabbed a nearby scarf and wrapped it around his neck to hide the bruises from his boyfriend. He didn't really know why he was doing it, it just didn't seem right to let Marcus see the purple marks on his neck. The door opened and Marcus entered the room, looking worriedly at the blonde.

"Are you okay?" he asked once again. Draco smiled and nodded.

"I was looking for my bracelet, have you seen it by any chance?" Marcus shook his head and eyes Draco suspiciously.

"What is the scarf for? There are twelve degrees outside…" Draco swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to sound casual.

"My throat was sore this morning and I didn't want to take any chances. Really, it's nothing…" Marcus didn't seem convinced though and he slowly walked towards Draco. The blonde didn't dare to move when his boyfriend took the scarf off.

"Draco…" There was no anger and no disappointment in Marcus' voice, but it sounded afraid. Draco looked into his boyfriend's… teary eyes? No, this couldn't be why would Marcus be crying?

"Draco, have… have I done this?" Marcus pointed a shaky finger at Draco's purple marks. The blonde didn't dare to answer. He didn't understand why Marcus was crying. Marcus never cried, never.

"I have done this to you" Marcus realized. He tenderly touched the bruises, tracing the path they took around Draco's neck. A tear rolled down the elder man's cheek.

"I… I…" Marcus was at loss of words. Draco didn't know what to do either, so he merely rested his head against Marcus' chest and wrapped his arms around the other man's waist. Marcus didn't move or say anything. Draco heard him let out a shaky breath, but he didn't embrace Draco back. He never did, and if only on rare occasions. It wouldn't change this day. The two were interrupted by Scorpius' loud shriek. Draco looked up and felt a fear invade his body. Quickly, he got out of the room and went to see why Scorpius had screamed when he heard a childish laughter that strangely belonged to his son. Confused, Draco went into the living room and saw how Scorpius was embracing Teddy tightly. Potter stood behind the boys, smiling warmly at them and shushing young Scorpius.

"Your parents will think that I'm kidnapping you, buddy"

"No they won't! I'm so happy to see you, Mr Potter" Scorpius' shyness towards Potter seemed gone, Draco noticed. He heard Marcus enter the living room and it was then that Potter looked up from the two children. A shy smile appeared on his lips and he lifted one hand in greetings.

"Hey"

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Potter?" Marcus asked angrily. The tears had gone from his eyes, leaving Draco to wonder if he had truly seen them. Before he could add anything, Harry stepped forward and handed Draco his bracelet.

"Teddy found this in the kitchen and I believe it belongs to you" Draco looked at the bracelet in wonder. A smile was on his lips when he thanked Harry.

"I was looking for that damned bracelet everywhere. Thank you Po… Harry. That bracelet means a lot to me, I'm glad you found it" Harry blushed and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"It's nothing, Draco. Besides, Teddy wanted to see Scorpius and I suppose the feeling's mutual" Draco nodded. Marcus cleared his throat loudly. "So Potter, since you've been so generous as to bring back my boyfriend's godforsaken bracelet, would you care about a drink?" Harry looked at Marcus and politely accepted. Then, his eyes turned back to Draco and to his horror, Potter fixed Draco's neck. He had forgotten to put the scarf back on. Draco lowered his eyes and went to pour Harry a drink, but Marcus was quicker.

"It's alright Draco, I have it!" Marcus walked out of the room, followed by Teddy and Scorpius who volunteered to help. Draco and Harry were left alone in the living room.

"Draco, what happened to your neck?" Potter tried to sound casual, Draco noticed, but he failed miserably. The blonde tried to sound as calm as possible.

"I was experimenting with new potions and some had nasty effects on my health" That was a lie and Draco was stupid if he thought he could have fooled Harry Potter so easily. The other man walked towards Draco and looked at him sternly.

"You were experimenting, well I can see that. Are you sure this has nothing to do with a certain friend of yours?" Draco glared back at Potter.

"What do you imply, Potter? Do you think that Marcus beats me? Do you think he rapes me and gave me these horrible marks?" Harry didn't reply, but the answer was written on his features. "Well guess what Potty I am no lovesick puppy. Of any of this had happened because of Marcus, believe me I would have taken my revenge. Have you forgotten what I am capable of? Should I give you a proof of me being a dangerous man?" Draco was shocked at his sudden boldness. He had never felt as self-confident in years and to be honest with himself, it felt good.

"I know what you are!"

"Then don't forget it. I can make people go through horrible things, don't forget that. If Marcus was beating me, he would have paid the price long ago" Draco saw Harry glare back at him, yet the former Slytherin Prince was not impressed for the slightest.

"No one has ever been able to fool me, Malfoy and you won't be the exception. I will find out, sooner or later! Trust me about one thing: I won't give up easily. I will get it my way because I am Harry Potter!"

**Oh… finish!... for now. So in case I don't write until then, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.**

**TBC…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: A helping Hand**

**Hello all of you. Hope you had a very happy Christmas and I wish you a prosperous new year. So like promised, a chapter to finish the year. **

Harry felt horrible after he realized what he had just said. Draco was gaping incredulously at him, but quickly regained his cold composure. An evil spark shone in his eyes and Harry had that horrible feeling that he had just woken something inside Draco, something he didn't want to see.

"You never stop! I told you I was fine, what more do you need? Fuck it Potter, what is your problem exactly?"

Draco was fuming and Harry seriously considered leaving this place with Teddy as quickly as possible. But his Gryffindor courage got the best of him and he proudly stepped closer to the raging blonde.

"There's something going on in this place, Malfoy. Blaise has noticed it and even I have noticed that you are not the same git you used to be"

That wasn't the right thing to say and it appeared to Harry that he was making Draco even angrier than he already was. The look of pure hatred on Draco's face reminded Harry of what had happened in their sixth year in the girl's bathroom. He remembered how Draco had reacted after he had been caught crying. The thought saddened Harry somehow.

"Well this sudden change surely has nothing to do with the people looking at me as though I was the foulest person on earth. Everywhere I go I hear people wishing me a long and agonizing death. How do you think this makes me feel?" Draco's eyes were fixing Harry intently and dared him to answer.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have joined Voldemort's side then" Draco shuddered when Harry spoke his name. It surely woke up memories he would've preferred to forget, but Harry needed to know that the old Draco was still there somewhere. It made him feel as though he wasn't doing all of this in vain. It gave him hope that he could still help the other man.

"Oh and how exactly did you want me to refuse? You don't say no to Death Eaters and you most surely don't deny the Dark Lord anything. Because of you and your merry band, my father was imprisoned and I had no other choice"

"You always have the choice, Draco" The blonde didn't answer, merely glaring at his opponent. Before Harry had the chance to say more, Marcus and the children reappeared. Teddy and Scorpius both held a glass of juice in their hands and Marcus took a long sip of his Firewhiskey, offering one to Harry. The latter declined.

"I think it's time for us to leave now, Teddy. We have bothered Draco and Marcus long enough" Teddy looked at his godfather with pleading eyes, grabbing Scorpius' hand in his.

"But you said I could visit Scorpius, Uncle Harry. You promised" When Harry didn't give an answer, Teddy turned to Draco and Marcus. "Please Cousin Draco, can I stay?" And as soon as Teddy had spoken these words, Scorpius joined into his pleas.

"Please daddy, father! I will be good, I promise" Draco looked alternatively at Teddy then at Scorpius and eventually at Harry, lifting his eyebrows.

"Well, if your godfather doesn't mind, you may as well stay for a few more hours" Harry so badly wanted to accept Draco's offer, but it wouldn't do any good for his investigations. He had to be either alone with his nemesis or alone with Scorpius in order to find out more about Flint's supposedly abusive personality.

"I just remembered that Hermione and Ron have invited me for dinner this evening and they wanted me to bring Teddy along. I'm really sorry but I'm sure another date can be arranged" Harry lied. Draco looked intently at him, but it was Marcus who replied.

"Of course, Draco and I need some alone time anyway. How about on the Monday of the next week in the early afternoon? That is if you have nothing else planned by then" Harry could only nod faintly since he dreaded the thought of having Draco spending some time alone with Marcus. He had to do something or Draco would be the one suffering. He had to do something before it was too late.

"So be it then. I wish you a good evening, Potter" Marcus' voice didn't sound polite for the least, but Harry didn't really pay attention.

"To you three as well. Bye Scorpius" he said with a smile, but Scorpius shyly lowered his gaze. Teddy embraced the other child before joining Harry and taking his larger hand in his. Then they stepped together in the fireplace and vanished in a swirl of green flames, leaving the family alone in the rather large living room. Harry's words had startled Draco and furthermore, his own reaction had startled him. It had felt good to be able to be his former self again, but he didn't understand why he was only able to do that when Potter was around. Was it because of their old rivalry still lingering in the back of his mind? Was it because he too was growing wary of this abusive relationship? Draco's hands went to touch the bruises on his neck. Marcus had gone too far this time, he knew it. Still Draco couldn't bring himself to feel angry about what had happened for he had seen the tears in Marcus' eyes. He had seen the guilt written on his boyfriend's features.

"Daddy, what is that on your throat?" Scorpius asked, pulling Draco out of his thoughts. He had expected that question from his son and he was prepared to answer as naturally as if Scorpius had asked him whether he should wear a blue or green jumper.

"It's an allergic reaction to one of my potions, Scorpius, nothing to worry about. No go play, father and I have something important to discuss" Draco truly hoped Scorpius would obey, but he was a child like any other.

"I am grown also, daddy. I want to know what you're talking about" Scorpius said, pouting.

"I'm sorry Scor', but you're not yet old enough to listen to this particular conversation. When you're older, you'll be allowed to know" Scorpius didn't approve, but a look from his father kept him from speaking.

"Alright" he eventually gave in with a sigh, "but you'll tell me one day, promise?"

"Yes, promise" Draco answered, although it pained him to know that one day his son would know everything about his story. He didn't want his son to think of him as a bad person. These days were behind him now and he so much hoped to be forgiven. When Scorpius had run back to his bedroom, Draco turned around to face Marcus and took a deep breath.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me" he said. Marcus didn't immediately answer, pondering his words.

"You know that this is a lie, Draco. I meant to hurt you, only I regret it now" Draco nodded and stepped back when Marcus tried to gather him in his arms. The look on his boyfriend's face broke Draco's heart, but he had to do it. He had realized that all of this had gone too far and he didn't want to live like this anymore.

"Marcus, you did it under a strong influence of alcohol. Maybe not all the time, but most of the time you did. You are not a bad person, I know that. You just have a serious drinking problem" When Marcus wanted to counterattack; Draco actually stepped forward and placed a finger on Marcus' lips.

"Don't deny it, you do have a problem. Therefor I would like you to…" The blonde took a deep breath to calm his nerves before saying: "…I would like you to join and A.A. program" After he had suggested this, Draco feared that Marcus would hit him for daring speak to him in such a manner, but the blow did not come. Draco looked into his boyfriend's eyes and when Marcus would still not answer, the blonde explained his thought.

"You know, since we both want another child, I think it would be better for you to join an A.A. so that our baby will grow in a prosper environment. Marcus I'm not saying this to blame you or to humiliate you, but as your partner, I want to help you. Also, I would like us to be like we were before you started drinking. I love you and therefor I want to help you" Tears ran down Draco's cheeks for he could already see Marcus leave him. He couldn't live without him, he had nowhere to go, no money to spend. And Scorpius, how would the child react to the separation? What if Marcus wished to take Scorpius away from Draco?

"Okay" the answer came, low and weak. Draco didn't want to believe his ears out of fear that he had misheard and that he would make up his hoped for nothing.

"Truly"

"Yes! You're right, I need professional help. Draco I… I almost killed you yesterday because of the fucking alcohol. I daren't even imagine what would have happened had you not been able to breathe again. What of Scorpius? What… what of me? I don't know what I'd be without you. Thank you for trying to help" And with these words, Marcus sealed Draco's lips with his in a passionate kiss full of tenderness. Draco moaned into Marcus' mouth and gave into the kiss without much resistance. Marcus' hand brushed the tangles out of Draco's blonde hair while the other cupped the side of his boyfriend's face. Draco wrapped his arms around Marcus' shoulders, deepening the kiss in the process and hooking his leg around the other man's waist. There they stood for a long time, looking quite comical but none of them cared at the moment, too lost in their passion. Draco pressed his evident arousal against Marcus' thigh, clearly showing him how much he desired him.

"I need you… now…. Here" Draco panted, almost ripping off Marcus' shirt in the process. They soon ended on the couch, completely naked and quite aroused. Both hoped that Scorpius wouldn't come back in the living room any time soon since they had forgotten to lock the door and put a silencing charm. There, Marcus made tender love to Draco, forgetting for some hours about the troubles they have had for a few years now.

**Yep quite short and I will do better next time. Hope you guys still enjoyed it. **

**TBC…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: A seemingly perfect morning**

**Hey guys. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you it's just that I have been abroad for a few days and therefor I haven't been able to write much on my story since I didn't have my PC with me and even if I had, I didn't have any free WIFI. So here's chapter twelve, now please forgive me for the long wait, it probably won't happen again anytime soon. **

Draco couldn't even begin to describe how happy he felt since the promise Marcus had made him. Although he wasn't very sure if the AA program would actually help his boyfriend, Draco still held hope within him. He had seen fear in Marcus' eyes when the latter had discovered the purple marks on Draco's neck. There had been fear and an unmistakable guilt and that was all Draco needed to learn to trust his boyfriend again. Marcus had clearly been shaken by his own behaviour and had even admitted to have a problem with the alcohol. There wasn't more he could do to prove his love for Draco. In the blonde's eyes, Marcus had already done a great step forward.

When Draco woke up in the morning, Marcus had already left for work leaving the large bed cold. Draco stretched his long elegant limbs and sighed in contentment, closing his eyes to enjoy the fresh spring air that filtered through open window. When sleep slowly started to overwhelm Draco again, the door to his bedroom opened and through half-closed lids, the blonde recognized Scorpius. The child, who believed his daddy was still sleeping, tried to make as little noise as possible, which more or less succeeded. He had his stuffed animal clutched in one hand and a small blanket in the other. With some difficulties, Scorpius climbed onto the large bed and went to snuggle against his daddy's strong chest. Draco eventually wrapped one arm around his son's light form and cracked one eye open to look at the smiling child.

"Hello daddy" the child said in a low whisper, covering his mouth to stifle a yawn. Draco smiled endearingly and started to pass his fingers through his son's tangled hair. Scorpius rubbed his cheek against his daddy's chest, trying to ease the itchy feeling he was feeling. They long simply lay there, enjoying the cool morning and the comfort of Draco's bed. Nothing, absolutely nothing could have disturbed father and son at that right moment, nothing except Scorpius' growling stomach of course. Chuckling slightly, Draco moved into a sitting position, pulling Scorpius up a little.

"Hungry, aren't we?" he asked, smiling when his son gave a quick nod. Eventually, both crawled out of bed and made their way to the kitchen, where Draco busied himself preparing breakfast for his son and himself. In his back, he could hear Scorpius talk to his stuffed animal as though it would answer him.

"Yes I'm so happy that we are allowed to meet Teddy again next week, are you?" There was a silence and when Draco looked back at his son, he could see the child holding the stuffed animal's mouth close to his ear, nodding vehemently every now and then.

"Yes I know, Mr Potter acted strangely yesterday, but I'm sure he was just a little bit tired" Draco was then reminded of the conversation he had had with Potter and this woke other memories that he would have preferred to forget.

"Yes I'm sure it must be that. Anyway, I'm still so happy to meet with Teddy. He's so nice, don't you think?" While Scorpius was still conversing with his stuffed pet, Draco placed a plate of buttered toasts on the table and pushed it in front of Scorpius before grabbing some fruit for himself. Indeed, he remembered every word spoken by the Boy-Who-Lived and he was now himself wondering if there had not been a little bit of truth in what Potter had said.

Draco knew that since Hogwarts, he had changed drastically, but how could he have done otherwise? After Voldemort had died together with his parents, Draco was left with nothing. When all the other victims of this war had had friends and family to comfort them and help them through these dark times, Draco had no one to whom he could speak of his fears. He had no one except of Blaise and Pansy, but even then he had not been sure whether he could really trust the two or not. Of course he had been worrying for nothing.

"Daddy, what were you and Mr Potter talking about yesterday?" Scorpius asked, pulling Draco out of his reverie.

"Well, Mr Potter and I were discussing our time spent in Hogwarts" The answer seemed luckily to convince Scorpius, enabling his daddy to turn his attention back to his thoughts. Was it true that he would have had the choice to NOT join the Dark Lord? Could he have refused the Dark Mark and join the good side? No, even he would have wanted to, he had to protect his mother and the Dark Lord had been clear about that: if Draco refused, he would be punished. Draco had never feared the Dark Lord would kill him, more that he would torture him or kill his mother. Death would have been Draco's salvation, but he wouldn't have been granted that wish. Potter did not understand: there had been no way out of this situation. He couldn't understand his situation and in a way, Draco wasn't allowed to blame him.

"Daddy" came Scorpius voice again, "what did you and father have to talk about yesterday?"

"Are you not a very curious child?" Draco said in an amused tone, more to distract his son from the current topic. Scorpius smiled sheepishly at his daddy, clutching his stuffed animal even closer to his chest.

"But daddy, you promised you would tell me later"

"No, I told you that once you're older, I will tell you about what father and I discussed. I will keep that promise but you will have to wait" Scorpius frowned and pouted until he had finished his breakfast. Draco decided to ignore him, not wanting to have to scold his son on this so perfect morning.

""It's not fair that adults are allowed to have secrets while children don't" Scorpius said, still pouting adorably.

"Who told you children weren't allowed to have secrets? You are allowed to have secrets Scorpius if you don't wish to speak about certain topics. But know that you'll always find a friend in me and in your father, although he doesn't show it very often. Whatever your problem is, you can come and tell us about it. We're your parents, we're here to help you" Scorpius nodded and Draco saw him frown. He wondered what his young child was so vehemently thinking about.

"Daddy, why does father never tell you that he loves you?" That question took Draco aback but before he could answer, Scorpius added: "Does he even love us?" Draco felt his heart ache when he understood his son's reasoning. Calmly, he answered:

"You know Scorpius, there are some people that tell their families that they care for them, but don't mean what they say. Words are easily said, but often they're unreliable. Father has understood that and unlike other people, he prefers to show us how much he loves us"

"Really, he has never shown me how much he loved me" Scorpius answered before Draco could add anything else. The blonde man sighed and slipped onto the chair closest to his son's. Tenderly, he wrapped an arm around the youngster's shoulders.

"He has! Remember the time he read you a story before you went to bed?" Scorpius tried to remember that one night and eventually nodded reluctantly. "Well and do you remember that one time when you were sick and father didn't go at work to look after you?" Scorpius' eyes lit up all of sudden.

"Yes, he even gave me ice-cream then when I'm usually allowed none" Draco smiled and nodded approvingly.

"You see my son these are gestures and small treats that show that your father cares for you. He wants you to be happy as much as I do. You're our pride and joy, never forget that" Scorpius nodded and leaned against his daddy's side, seeking some warmth and comfort. Draco placed a soft kiss on his child's head and hugged him close.

"I love you daddy"

"And I you my son" When both parted, Draco heard a loud cracking sound coming from the living room. Scorpius started while Draco cursed himself for letting his wand in his room. He didn't expect any visitors and Marcus must be working until six. Quickly grabbing a butter knife, he walked into the living room and pointed the weapon at the intruder only to find Blaise standing in the room. Draco let out a sigh of relief and gave Blaise a disapproving look.

"You could've told me you were coming" he said accusingly. Blaise smiled amusingly, looking at the butter knife in Draco's hand.

"No offense mate, but did you truly expect to stab anybody with _that_?" he asked, nodding at the "weapon". Draco resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at Blaise, yet found himself smirking.

"Shut up Zabini!"

"Were you expecting an enemy?" Blaise asked, looking maybe a little bit worried.

"I always expect enemies" When Blaise was about to reply, both men heard a loud squeal coming from the door. When Scorpius had seen his godfather standing in the middle of the living room, he had run to Blaise and was scooped into his godfather's arms.

"Hey buddy, how's it going?"

"Uncle Blaise, I'm going to meet Teddy on Monday" Scorpius said all excited, ignoring his godfather's question.

"Really" Blaise said, feigning surprise, "I hope you'll have fun then buddy" Draco smiled at the picture his best friend and his son were making. After Scorpius and Blaise had cuddled thoroughly, the blonde child announced that he had drawn pictures for his godfather and that he would go and fetch them in his bedroom.

"Right buddy, I'll be waiting right here" Scorpius nodded and hurried out of the living room. When he disappeared from view, Blaise looked back at Draco and the latter again realized that he hadn't been wearing a scarf once again.

"What the hell happened to your throat?"

"Allergic reaction to one of my potions" Draco mechanically retorted, realizing that Blaise didn't believe him at all.

"Alright and pigs can fly! Draco, when will you see that this man is dangerous?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Draco said innocently, starting to feel annoyed with Blaise. Yet, the other man didn't give up.

"Oh you know perfectly well what I'm talking about, no Draco listen to me…" Blaise interrupted his friend before he was even able to speak his thoughts, "… I'm not judging you and if you feel that way then I'm terribly sorry for it. I swear all I want is for you to be happy and I can tell that you aren't happy with Marcus"

"How could you know? He has made mistakes, but I know that he truly cares for Scorpius and for me. You didn't see the fear in his eyes when he saw these" Draco pointed at the purple marks on his neck, "he looked absolutely horrified. We discussed it and he agreed to join and AA program…"

"An AA program, Draco are you as naïve as that? You truly believe that an AA program will change his violent nature? What is it that will make you open your eyes? Will Marcus have to harm Scorpius for you to see that he's no man for you?" Draco shook in rage and before he could prevent it, his fist met Blaise's nose and an awful noise of breaking bones echoed in the living room. Long they stood facing each other without saying anything, Blaise holding his nose in utter disbelief.

"Never will I let Marcus hurt my child, do you understand? You don't know Marcus and all you've ever done is hate him. Never have you tried to look deeper than the surface, letting your hatred guide your actions and influence your behaviour concerning my boyfriend. It's time to grow up, don't you think?" Draco said, standing up tall in front of Blaise. To the blonde man's surprise, he saw his best friend smile.

"It's good to see that at least, you still know how to stand up for yourself"

**TBC…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Taking back the reins **

"Of course I can stand up for myself. I will not let you insult me or Marcus for the matter. He has made mistakes I admit, but everyone can change" Draco wasn't sure if he actually believed in what he was saying, but he tried to look as confident as possible nonetheless. He wouldn't let Blaise win this argument this time, not again.

"Indeed! Draco ever since you've been with Marcus, you're the one who's changed. You're not the same guy any…"

"I didn't change for MARCUS." Draco interrupted, "I changed the moment my father was condemned to the Dementor's kiss. I changed the moment I realized that my mother wouldn't have much longer to live. Yes Blaise, I changed but not for Marcus. The truth is I had changed long before that, and you and Pansy were too blind to realize that I needed your support. Marcus was the first one to offer me comfort since the war's end. That's the reason why I fell for him. He was there for me when even my BEST FRIENDS WEREN'T"

Draco was panting now. God knew why he had reacted like this, but he couldn't let his so called best friend insult his boyfriend and the father of his son like that. There was no end to Blaise's hatred, but Draco could hear no more of it. It was too easy to criticize the others and to Draco, there was no greater act of cowardice.

"Draco, we were there for you. Had you just opened a little bit more to us, then maybe we would have even been able to help you. The problem was; you were such a stubborn prick at the time, you wouldn't show your weaknesses. Don't you realize how hard it was for us to even get to you?" Blaise's voice was calm, but sounded more desperate than never. Draco couldn't remember seeing Blaise so vulnerable.

"You pitied me and therefor I never spoke of my fears or my struggles. You have no idea how hard it was to see that same pity shine in your eyes every time you would look at me. I felt weak and I hated that feeling. Marcus wasn't like that, he didn't pity me! He tried to strengthen me, to make me see that even if horrible things had happened during the war, life goes on"

"Oh I could see how he was strengthening you like you say" Blaise spat, glaring at his stubborn best friend, "Draco do you think it's normal for a man to beat his boyfriend? How do you think I felt when I got a letter from St. Mungo's telling me that you had fallen down the stairs and had broken a few ribs?"

"Like I already said before, Marcus has a problem with the alcohol and he has now agreed to go to the AA meetings. His first meeting was supposed to be tonight, we'll see what shall happen next"

"I know what will happen next. He won't even go to this meeting, Draco, how naïve are you? He will not go and he will drink more and hit you until one day I'll get a letter from St. Mungo's telling me that you died falling down the stairs. Now if you want to believe in fairy tales, please do, but for you there won't be a "living happily ever after" if you don't leave that bastard"

And before Draco could reply to this, Blaise grabbed his coat and disapparated in a loud 'pop'. The blonde was flabbergasted, not wanting to believe that it had actually been his best friend who had spoken to him in that tone. In a rage, Draco hit the nearby coffee table with his foot. How dare he, how _dare he_? There were no words that could describe Draco's rage now, who felt like kicking the table until it broke under the abuse.

"Fucking sucking bastard you are, Zabini!" he shouted. The morning had begun so well and now, Blaise had ruined it. 'Well, let him go you don't need him anyway. He's jealous, that's all. Never will he experience the same relationship with Pansy!' Still, there was that little voice in Draco's head telling him that there was some truth in Blaise's words after all and although the blonde tried to ignore it, he failed.

"Uncle Blaise, here are your paintings, I've… where has uncle Blaise gone, daddy?" Draco looked at his son standing in the doorframe, holding pieces of sheet in his little hand.

"Uncle Blaise will not come back anytime soon, Scorpius!" Draco said coldly, still trying to calm his nerves. Scorpius on the other hand, couldn't believe his ears. Did that mean that his uncle Blaise had abandoned him? Why, what had he done wrong?

"But… I wanted to give him my drawings" When Draco had more or less cooled down, he looked at his son and saw Scorpius looking at him with wet and pleading eyes. The last thing Draco needed at the moment was a weeping child.

"Scorpius, Uncle Blaise will not come back! He and I fought and we need some time apart so that we can settle this misunderstanding, do you understand?" Scorpius shook his head in denial, while Draco inertly sighed in despair. How would he make his small son understand that Blaise would most likely never again be invited over?

"But you can settle this right now, can't you? You're always the one saying that fighting is bad!"

"Fighting is indeed counterproductive but son, there are things that are not acceptable and that which Blaise said is one of them. Now go back to your room"

"But daddy…"

"I SAID GO!" Scorpius flinched back, looking at his daddy with frightened eyes. When Draco turned his back to him, Scorpius tried to swallow the lump in his throat before he hurried off to his bedroom. He didn't understand why his daddy had been so mean to him: never had his daddy yelled at him before. It was surely uncle Blaise's fault. Young Scorpius cried a lot that day, not exciting his bedroom not even when his father came back home. It was then that he heard another fight that frightened him even more. What if his daddy decided to send his father away as well? Only weeks ago, Scorpius would have probably felt happy about his parents separating but now that he thought thoroughly about it, he realized that he didn't want his father to go. He didn't want to lose either of his parents. Not knowing what else to do, Scorpius covered his ears with his pillow and secretly vowed to tell Teddy about his worries. Teddy would know what to do, he always did. When Scorpius had eventually calmed down, he heard the door to his bedroom open.

When Scorpius disappeared from view, Draco felt guilt gnaw at him. Never had he raised his voice against his youngster. What was happening to him? At that moment, he felt like his own father and the guilt was soon replaced by loathe. He didn't want to be like Lucius in any way imaginable. He wanted Scorpius to have a nice and pleasant childhood, one that would make his son smile every time he would think back. But somehow, Draco had failed at that too.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, Draco sank on the couch and buried his face in his hands. He breathed deeply, as though the fresh air would chase the guilt he was feeling away. Unfortunately for him, even that could not keep him from crying. He felt useless, like a failure. He couldn't do anything right. This wasn't what he had expected his life to be like. Draco felt as though no one could save him anymore. He had been protecting Marcus for far too long and even he knew that all of this had to take an end sooner or later. Yet, he wanted to give his boyfriend one more chance. If Marcus disappointed him one more time, then it would be over. Then, Draco would have no reason to stay anymore and nothing would keep him from running away with Scorpius. Draco wanted to give Marcus one more chance to prove what he was worth and this one time, no promises would count.

Scorpius remained locked in his room all day long, not bothering to show up at lunch. Draco badly wanted to go and apologize, but he decided that Scorpius wouldn't want to see him anyway. He had been harsh on his young son, Draco knew that. Still, he had felt so angry at that moment, he had acted without thinking. Maybe it was better to wait until his son made the first step towards him.

The evening came and Scorpius had not yet showed up. For one moment, Draco feared that his son had attempted leave the apartment. To make sure he was wrong, the blonde had eavesdropped at his son's door and had heard soft sobs coming from his son's bedroom. Scorpius was still there, but he was in pain and Draco ached to go and comfort him. Yet, if Scorpius rejected him that would hurt his daddy more than hearing him cry and therefor, Draco left his son be. At seven, the apartment door opened and Marcus entered the room. Draco didn't move from where he was sitting on his couch, barely looking up from his polar. Only when Marcus deigned to greet him did Draco look at up at him.

"Hey, how was your day?" he asked, feigning innocence. Marcus tossed his heavy coat and leathered briefcase on the armchair before joining Draco on the couch. When he kissed his boyfriend in greeting, he was surprised to find that Draco didn't answer the gesture.

"Well, fine I suppose" he said, looking suspiciously at Draco. The blonde's eyes didn't reflect any emotions his features were as hard as stone. Marcus thought he had already seen that expression before on his boyfriend face. A long, long time ago when both were still at Hogwarts and Draco was barely thirteen years old. That impenetrable mask had always confused Marcus and there it was again. Why was Draco acting so strangely?

"Is there a problem baby?" When Draco didn't answer, Marcus felt a little bit panicked though he wouldn't show it. His eyes fell on the now fading bruises on Draco's neck. A shudder ran down his spine.

"You didn't answer my question, Marcus. How was your day? Was it instructive?" Draco's questions made Marcus feel uneasy and he had that slight impression that his boyfriend was well aware of this uneasiness. Marcus remembered his day at work and his annoying colleagues. He also remembered one of them asking his to go out for a quick drink before going back home. And then, it hit Marcus: the AA meeting, he had missed it.

"Well?" came Draco's impatient question. Marcus bit his lower lip, trying to figure out how to tell Draco he hadn't attended the meeting because his friends had invited him for a drink.

"Alright, you got me but I can explain" Yet Marcus didn't get the time to explain himself that Draco stood up unexpectedly and faced Marcus menacingly. There was a glow in his stormy eyes that made the elder man want to run away from him, but his pride and the small amount of alcohol in his blood wouldn't let him.

"Are you about to tell me that you haven't attended the meeting like _promised_?" Marcus hesitated before nodding, but he eventually did.

"So basically, you'd rather drink with your friends rather than to keep a promise made to your boyfriend" It was not a question as Marcus could easily notice. An indescribable guilt overwhelmed his body. Apologetically, he got up and took Draco's hands in his, but the blonde quickly pulled them away.

"I can't believe it. You are such a… such a… MONSTER" Marcus jumped hearing Draco shout at him. Never had he been shouted at by his boyfriend and the prospect somehow scared him. Draco was regaining control over his situation. If he was bold enough to stand up to him, then he was bold enough to leave him. Marcus couldn't let that happen.

"You will not speak to me in such a tone"

"Watch me" Draco said, challengingly, "Did you truly expect me to silently accept this? Do you really believe me to be that stupid? I've had enough, Marcus, I can't live like this anymore. I gave you one last chance to prove your worth and you blew it. Well then, I can't help you"

"What does that mean?" Marcus asked, fearing to hear the words leave Draco's mouth. There was no way he was going to let the blonde leave him. He wouldn't allow it!

"I'm done with this relationship, that's what it means. I will leave in the morning with Scorpius and if you ever want to see your son and me again, you will make an effort" As soon as Draco had spoken those words, he felt a strong hand grab his throat and he felt himself being lifted up several inches from the ground. When his eyes met Marcus', he thought that his boyfriend had gone mad.

"You will not leave me, Draco Malfoy" His grip tightened around Draco's neck, "You will not take my SON AWAY FROM ME!" Desperately, Draco tried to break free from Marcus' grip, but felt his senses grow dull. He had to do something before it was too late. Blaise had been right; all of this had to take an end. In a last desperate movement, Draco threw his dangling leg up and luckily hit Marcus' manhood, which made the other loosen his grip. Knowing that he didn't have much time left, Draco got up and disappeared in the bedroom to retreat his wand. Once he found it, he burst into Scorpius room to find his son still weeping on the bed.

"Quickly Scorpius, we don't have much time" Draco said in a raspy voice. Scorpius looked up from his tear-soaked cushion, holding his stuffed animal firmly in one hand.

"Daddy, what…"

"We have no time, my boy…"

"MALFOY!" came Marcus' angry voice. Draco felt panic rise in him and before his boyfriend could reach the bedroom door, the blonde had grabbed his son's wrist and disapparated from the apartment.

**Badumtsch, yeah! Eventually, Draco has learned his lesson! I actually feel relieved after writing this chapter. Somehow, I'm so glad Draco's eventually made it! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Mirova **

**When I went over my stats, I was so happy to see that 'My Hero' had reached 100 (!) reviews, almost 200 (!) followers and almost 100 favourites! You guys are all so amazing, I love you all! So yeah, to celebrate the 100 reached reviews, here's chapter fourteen. So that's basically to thank you for faithfully reviewing and following this story. Really this story wouldn't be the same without you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you! **

Draco had not come back here since his mother's death. She had been the last person to dwell in this place and the memory hurt him. Also, he didn't want to be reminded of the horrible things that had happened inside these walls. Standing in front of the impressive and intimidating building that was Malfoy Manor, Draco couldn't help but shiver when he heard a raven croak in a nearby tree. It was already dark and the Manor looked more like an abandoned house that was haunted by the spirits of the past. Scorpius' small hand tightened around his and Draco picked his son up, as if to protect him from the darkness that surrounded them.

"Daddy, I'm scared"

"Shh" was Draco's answer. He soothingly passed a hand through his son's blonde hair before walking up the long alley. When he was about Scorpius' age, Draco would always play with the peacocks in the gardens. Poor beasts must have starved or been killed by now. His mother's garden looked more like a jungle, not at all resembling the colourful place it had once been. Draco remembered that his mother used to plant mostly lilies and white roses, for they were her favourite flowers. Malfoy Manor's gardens had been of Victorian style: refined and romantic. Draco had always enjoyed walking through them and stopping near a fountain and simply listen to the rustling of the leaves. Autumn had been his favourite season in Malfoy Manor, although he recalled it to be more… jovial? Could you really qualify this place of jovial?

When Draco reached the front door, he took out his wand and found the door already unlocked. Surely no one had bothered to sell this house that reminded the population of one of the most disgraced Wizarding families in England. Ironic, wasn't it, how the Malfoys turned out to be the greatest joke in English history when they had been so powerful in the past? What must Draco's ancestors think of him right now? A disgrace or a failure maybe, but he couldn't blame them. He knew too well what had become of him and it had been his own fault. He would stop protecting Marcus now, there was nothing that could possibly excuse him anymore. Draco had been blind for far too long, now it was time for change.

Draco pushed the door open only to find the foyer dark and most certainly dusty. Scorpius was shaking in his daddy's arms, looking around the place in utter confusion. He must certainly wonder why Draco had brought him in such a dark place, but there was no time for explanations. Soon, Marcus would figure out that Draco had come to find refuge here and by then, the blonde wanted to be gone or at least wanted Scorpius to be in a safe place. He could always take him to Blaise's, but that would be the first place Marcus would go to. Maybe if Blaise refused to help Draco because of their fight, then maybe the blonde would have to ask Potter for his generous help. But there would be a time for thinking, first Draco had to be sure that there was no one in this place.

"Repelle Hostium" **(1)**, he said. His heart raced in his chest and his fingers grabbed his wand tightly, ready to defend his son from a possible enemy. But to his relief, nothing happened. Draco waved his wand and suddenly, the crystal chandeliers hanging over them lit and it was only then that Draco realized just how filthy the Manor actually was. Frowning in disapproval, he casted a cleaning spell and in no time, the foyer looked the way it used to look like several years ago: pompous, luxurious and sophisticated. Draco found himself smiling at the sight. It woke in him the memory of cosy autumn evenings at the Manor when he was younger.

"See Scorpius, this is the place I grew up in. It's called Malfoy Manor, for it has been my family's property for centuries, can you believe it?" Looking at his son, Draco saw that the small child was gaping at the sight. His eyes shone in excitement and all questions about why they had come here vanished.

"It's huge" Scorpius said, looking everywhere as if looking for a hidden treasure. Draco smiled at his son's eagerness.

"Do you want to see more?" When Scorpius nodded, Draco tried to remember which way led to the music room, where Draco had kept his piano. If he remembered well, the piano had been the only inhabitant of the room for as long as Draco could remember. There had never been anything else but the instrument. Every time Draco would play, the melody would echo in the large room for minutes even after he had finished playing a song. It had always relaxed Draco to play the piano, although he doubted that after so many years of musical inactivity he would manage to play Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca" or Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". Now that he thought about it, that room wasn't important anyway.

"Let's go up and see my bedroom, would you like that?" When Scorpius showed his eagerness, Draco went upstairs, where his bedroom was situated next to the large library. Once he had reached the hallway leading to his room, Draco waved his wand and the lights hanging on the wall lit, showing very old, dusty paintings. Represented were most often Malfoys, from every gender and every age. Draco didn't know most of them and he didn't care to be honest. Yet Scorpius had never seen the paintings before and he was amazed when he saw the people inside the frames move and speak.

"Eventually" said an elderly man, whose white hair had reached the small of his back, "I thought they had truly abandoned us. What of the Malfoy dynasty, has it taken an end?"

"Bertie, we've long ago stopped being a dynasty. Now, the Malfoy's are known to be a wealthy family, one among the wealthiest in the United Kingdom I dare say" A young and rather beautiful blonde woman said. Draco almost burst out into ironic laughter.

"A wealthy family, oh please Alyssa don't be so naïve. The Malfoys have become the greatest scums in humanity there is no honour left in our family name anymore. There is only shame and treachery. How many have joined the enemy, I dare not ask. Far too many blood traitors, shall I say _squibs_? It pains me to say that the Malfoy family is not what is used to be anymore"

Luckily for Draco, none of the portraits asked for his name and he was happy about it. The last thing he needed was to be questioned by his ancestors. There was nothing he dreaded more than the memories of what his father had made him go through. Eventually, he and Scorpius reached the door leading to his bedroom. Draco felt melancholic when opening the door and walking inside the large room. It seemed to him as though nothing had changed, except maybe that the furniture (like the rest of the Manor he was sure) was covered in thick layers of dust. Another wave of his wand and the room looked like new. Draco let Scorpius down and smiled when he saw his son roam over the room, looking inside drawers and inside cupboards. Draco himself let his eyes wander over the room that had once been his sanctuary, when Malfoy Manor had been You-Know-Who's headquarter. Shaking the nasty thoughts away, Draco looked out of the balcony door. Outside, one could see the remaining of Narcissa's Victorian garden.

"Daddy, what's this?" Scorpius asked, pulling out a heavy looking trunk from under the bed. Draco looked at it closely. Scorpius blew the dust off the trunk (the cleaning spell truly was superficial, Draco thought) and tried to read the engraved words on it.

"Hog-w-art-s" The Scorpius looked at the inscription on the side of the trunk, "Draco Lu-cius Malfoy"

Draco smiled incredulously, wondering why his mother had not thrown the dusty thing away. Scorpius' eyes shone in excitement and a pleading look at his daddy told Draco that the child craved to open the trunk.

"Go on" Draco said, allowing Scorpius to open the suitcase and have a look at the items. Inside the trunk, there were empty packages of chocolate frogs, Draco's old leather wallet (that looked as though a werewolf had torn it into pieces), some letters and writing feathers. Nothing terribly exciting, yet Scorpius was so in awe that it warmed Draco's heart. They continued exploring the room when suddenly Draco thought he heard a noise come from downstairs. Reflexively, the blonde grabbed his concealed wand and noiselessly left the bedroom as to not scare Scorpius.

On his way down, Draco cursed himself for not turning the lights off. He had not been very careful and if Marcus had found his hiding place, he would have to drag Scorpius away once again. There was no way the poor child was going to understand why his daddy kept apparating from one place to another. Still holding his wand firmly in one hand, Draco took the last steps down and stood motionless in the foyer. There he waited for the intruder to show himself, although he didn't understand why the spell had not worked. _Crack_!

With a start, Draco looked at the door leading to the music room. Had someone been hiding there? How stupid not to have checked it earlier. Slowly, Draco walked to the door on his right and quickly revised the different spells he could use against enemies. When he stood right in front of the door, Draco took a deep breath and kicked the door open with his foot, holding his wand protectively in front of him. A squeak greeted him, followed by small whimpers and broken sobs. To say that Draco was confused was an understatement for in front of him, there stood no armed Auror or enemy, but a small and miserable looking house-elf.

"Please sir, don't kill Mirova, sir!" the small creature begged, holding her hands up in a protective gesture. Not sure if all of this was not a trick, Draco hesitated to lower his wand.

"What the… how happen the Intruder Charm didn't work?" The little elf looked up at Draco in fear.

"Such charms don't… don't work on… house-elves, sir! Your magic has no effect on house-elves, sir. Or at least, most of your magic hasn't. Please sir, don't kill me!" Draco eventually lowered his arm, still holding his wand tightly just in case someone was still hiding in the room.

"How long have you been living here, Mirova?" he asked, wondering why this creature had not fled after Narcissa's death.

"Oh well sir, I…"

"Just tell me what happened, I won't hurt you I promise" The elf nodded and tried to control her ragged breathing before saying in a shaky and high-pitched voice:

"Mirova has never left Malfoy Manor, sir. Mirova is a good elf, she would never do that. Mirova knew that the Malfoy's would return, there was no place for doubt in her mind. She knew that one day a Malfoy would come to the Manor and claim Mirova as his legitimate servant. Therefor Mirova didn't leave, sir! Mistress Narcissa told her not to. Oh sir" she said, her eyes wet and filled in admiration for Draco. The latter felt a little bit uneasy.

"I don't need a house-elf, but thank you for… oh no Mirova, don't!" Draco said when the little creature started sobbing and hitting her head against the wall. Nothing Draco did could bring the small elf to calm down, until the solution suddenly came to his mind.

"Mirova stop this immediately!" Hearing the order, Mirova instantly stopped hitting her head and looked at Draco. A crooked smile was on her lips. "Thank you, master thank you for ordering Mirova to stop. I shall serve you forever!" Draco passed a hand over his face, wondering why on earth he had to deal with an admiring house-elf _now_! And as if to worsen the matter, he heard Scorpius run down the stairs.

"Scorpius, no running down the…"

"What's that, daddy?" the small child asked before his daddy could finish. Draco bit his tongue and mentally counted to ten before explaining to his son that Mirova was a house-elf.

"We have a house-elf?" Scorpius asked, smiling at the little creature. It was the first time the child saw such a creature and the wonder in his eyes never failed to amaze Draco. Also the friendly smile on Scorpius' face seemed to confuse the poor elf even more than she already was.

"No we…" but when Draco met Mirova's teary eyes, he quickly corrected himself, "yes… yes boy, we have a house-elf. A very obedient house-elf I should say, she has done her job very well. She stayed here until somebody came to get her. She was a very good elf" Mirova beamed and bowed to her newly-found master.

"I live only to serve, Master" she said before also bowing to Scorpius. The child looked at his father in wonder, not understanding why a small creature was bowing to him.

"Daddy, am I a prince?" the child asked, his eyebrows lifted in confusion. Draco tried not to chuckle.

"Not yet, my son, but who knows what you'll turn out to be" When the silence became most awkward, Draco looked again at Mirova and decided that if he had to put up with a house-elf, he would make good use of it.

"Mirova I need you to do something for me!" he said and almost immediately had the small elf's attention.

"Anything, master"

"I want you to apparate to 4, Oxford Street in London. Once you're there, I want you to ask to see Blaise Zabini. You will deliver this message to him and to him only: We have found refuge in Wiltshire and we have not much time. Tell him that the message comes from Draco Malfoy. If he's in presence of other people, keep your mouth shut! He's the only one who's allowed to know our hiding place, do you understand?" The house-elf nodded solemnly before snipping and disappearing. Draco felt a certain relief overwhelm him, although it lasted only a brief second.

"Daddy, why did we have to leave father?"

How much he wished he didn't have to answer that question.

**(1) I checked for an Intruder charm on the Internet, but there was no known incantation for it, so I made one up. Repelle Hostium is the Latin translation for "chase the enemy away", or "avert enemies". This spell doesn't work on house-elf because they have a more powerful magic than wizards. (That's why Dobby could apparate inside the cellars of Malfoy Manor in DH part 1). But I believe you already know that, it was just to avoid confusions. **

**TBC…**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: Cohabitation**

**Hey guys, sorry for the short delay, but I had lots of work to finish for school. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you. **

Blaise held Pansy close to him while reading the Daily Prophet. The day at work had been rather calm and he couldn't have felt more grateful for it. He hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time and he wished that this evening would never end. In a rare gesture of tenderness, Blaise put his lips to Pansy's brow, causing her to shift even closer to him.

A loud _pop_ disturbed their peaceful evening. Blaise and Pansy started at the sound and Blaise reflexively sought his wand. "Who's there?" he asked in a loud, stern voice, having roused from the couch and pushed Pansy behind him. Silence answered him and he asked his question anew.

"Show yourself!"

Blaise and Pansy were both puzzled and relieved to see that it was a house elf standing in their living room. The poor creature looked ill and emaciated and the jumper it wore was torn and dirty. Blaise carefully lowered his wand and looked at the frightened elf.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying to sound calmer as to not intimidate the creature any further. The house elf shook slightly, but didn't forget to bow to the man in front of her.

"My name is Mirova sir. Are you Blaise Zabini?" Blaise looked back at his wife, giving her a puzzled look. When she didn't react, her face as hard as stone, Blaise turned back to Mirova and nodded. The little elf beamed up at him, although seemed to remember something very important.

"I have a message for you, Master Zabini, yet it was meant for your ears only"

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of my wife!" Mirova started shaking her head frantically, her ears flapping like the wings of a bat.

"No, no, my master was specific; I must tell no one but you, Master Zabini" Blaise wanted to protest, but he knew that whoever had sent him that elf might be in trouble and so, he looked back at Pansy apologetically. His wife, though a little bit reluctantly, nodded and walked away, closing the living room door behind her. When he was sure that his wife was gone, Blaise looked intently at the creature in front of him,

"Well? What is it that brings you here, Mirova? Speak at once!" Mirova nodded shakily and began playing nervously with her long bony fingers.

"I'm here on behalf of Master Draco Malfoy. He asked me to tell you that he and his young son, Master Scorpius, have found refuge in Wiltshire and that they don't have much time" Blaise's heart sank in his chest when he heard those words. He couldn't believe his ears; Draco had eventually left Marcus, was it truly possible? He couldn't believe it and yet, he felt hope overwhelm him. Although the fight they had had, Blaise couldn't bring himself to feel spiteful toward his friend. At least, Draco had had the intelligence to leave his bastard of a boyfriend.

"When did they arrive? Were they alone?" Mirova beamed, knowing she had fulfilled her mission brilliantly.

"They arrived tonight, Master Zabini. There were only my Master and the young master. My Master looked rather worried and he seemed desperate to see you!" Without another word, Blaise stuffed his wand inside his pocket and went to fetch his cape. When he returned to his living room, Mirova was still waiting for him.

"I'll apparate to Malfoy Manor!" Mirova, looking rather please with herself, vanished soon followed by Blaise.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO

Draco didn't really know how to answer his son's question. He had been expecting it, yet he had been caught off guard. Scorpius looked at him with quizzical eyes, patiently waiting for his daddy's response. Draco nervously stuffed his hands in his pockets and bit his lower lip.

"It's alright daddy, you can tell me, I'm a big boy!" Scorpius said, chin held high and a serious expression on his young face. Draco tried to smile, but failed. How could he tell his son what had happened? He couldn't tell him of Marcus' constant abuses, not now. Scorpius was still a child and shouldn't be burdened with the truth just now.

When Draco had worked up the courage to answer his son's question, Mirova reappeared before them. She bowed to her master until her pointy nose touched the marbled floor.

"Master, Mirova has told Master Zabini of your arrival. He's on his way" Draco smiled at Mirova's words, relieved. Some seconds later, Blaise appeared in the foyer, looking flushed and worried.

"Draco, are you alright? Scorpius, my boy… good lord guys, what happened?" When Draco tried to explain, he suddenly felt tears well up in his eyes. He didn't trust his voice and didn't want to appear weak in front of his son. Suddenly, the weight of what he had done was crushing him and guilt replaced the relief he had felt at Blaise's arrival. Seeing his best friend in such despair made Blaise do something he didn't do often; he went to embrace Draco and let the blonde cry on his shoulder, away from his son's curious eyes. Draco took a deep breath, trying to calm down in order to tell Blaise what had happened. Making sure that his voice was kept low, Draco began to explain everything that had occurred in the evening until now. He told Blaise of how Marcus had almost killed him by choking him once again, how Draco had appeared to Malfoy Manor with his son and how he had found Mirova. Blaise meanwhile, was rubbing his best friend's back soothingly, listening carefully to the other man's tale.

"And now, I haven't got the single clue what to do. Marcus is going to figure out sooner or later that I have come here and I can't risk endangering you and Pansy. How will I tell Scorpius?" Blaise shushed Draco, holding his face in his hands.

"We'll find a way, first let me bring you somewhere safe. You're right when you say that you two can't come at my place, but I know somebody who will agree to hide you until we've found Flint. Afterwards, we'll need you to come at the Ministry and…"

"NO" Blaise started at Draco's suddenly angry voice. Behind them, Scorpius was looking at his daddy with wide eyes. Lowering his voice again, Draco said:

"I won't make Marcus go to jail you can't do this to your godson! Just imagine Scorpius' reaction should he find out that his daddy is the one responsible for his father's imprisonment. No, we can't do this, I won't betray Marcus in such a way"

"Are you…"

"Thank you for your understanding Blaise, where will you take us?" Draco asked, changing the subject. Blaise looked intently at him, but didn't want to start another fight. Therefor he didn't mention Marcus' possible imprisonment yet.

"Oh somewhere safe, though I doubt you will like it. Do you wish to take some belongings from Malfoy Manor with you? I don't believe you will ever return. As I know Marcus, he's able to position one of his Death-Eater friends inside the Manor to avoid you from hiding in here. However, be quick. Flint might be a jerk, but he's not stupid and he will come here soon. The sooner we leave, the better!" Blaise looked back at the still scared Scorpius and said in a barely audible whisper:

"If you wish, I can make up a story so that Scorpius won't worry too much!" Draco quickly nodded, grateful that his best friend would take it on him to inform Scorpius of his new situation. Quickly, Draco hurried up the stairs after ruffling his son's hair. When Scorpius tried to follow his daddy, Blaise called him back.

"Scorpius son, come here. There's something I need to tell you"

"Can you tell me why daddy wants to move house without father?" Blaise sighed and nodded, taking place on the cold marbled floor and patting his lap in a silent invitation. Scorpius gladly went to sit onto his godfather's lap and quietly listened to the tale.

"Your father and your daddy had a rather violent fight and it saddened your daddy very much. He was so sad indeed that he decided to part a little bit from your father in order to clear his mind. And since your father was very mean to your daddy, he decided to take you with him. Don't worry child, he doesn't mean to hurt you. I'm sure your daddy will let you see your father again" Scorpius looked pensive and looked up at his godfather with wet eyes.

"I don't want to be parted from father"

"He's been mean toward your daddy and it will take some time for him to forgive your father for his mistakes. I swear Scorpius, he doesn't mean to hurt you in any way. Would it reassure you to know where I'm taking you two?" Scorpius didn't look at all convinced, but he nodded nonetheless. Blaise smiled down at him and lifted the child's chin, looking into the teary eyes once again.

"How about spending some weeks at Teddy's house with your daddy and Mr Potter?" Suddenly, all tears vanished from Scorpius' eyes and the child screamed gleefully, standing up from his godfather's lap and bouncing around excitedly. Blaise laughed merrily at his godson's obvious happiness. He however tried to calm the child's eagerness as to not reveal his destination to Draco too soon.

"Shh child, calm down. It's supposed to be a surprise, your daddy shan't know until we have arrived" _And he has no other choice but to stay_, Blaise thought wickedly. Scorpius nodded and put a finger to his lips, shushing Blaise playfully. The other man smiled and imprisoned the child in a tender embrace. He was glad that Scorpius was far from his father. The less Flint influenced the child, the better.

Draco reappeared, holding Scorpius' stuffed animal in one hand. The child, seeing that he had almost forgotten his best friend in his room, quickly took it from his daddy's hand and hugged the toy to his chest.

"Thank you, daddy! Don't worry you and father will soon be back together and I'm sure he didn't want to be mean to you" Draco arched his elegant eyebrows at Blaise, who merely smiled. Draco knew that Scorpius still wasn't aware of Marcus' abuse and he was glad that Blaise hadn't told him. Scorpius' small hand grabbed his daddy's shirt and pulled him toward Blaise.

"Come daddy, we have to go now!"

"Where are we going?" Draco asked and Scorpius giggled wickedly.

"It's a surprise, but I'm sure you will like it!" Draco was suspicious, but he trusted Blaise and his son and knew that wherever they were taking him, it couldn't be half as bad as being found by Marcus. Smiling brightly at his excited son, Draco took the child's hand. Before disapparating, Draco turned all the lights off with a wave of his wand and looked at the house elf friendly.

"You follow us, Mirova?" The elf, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt, nodded.

"As soon as you've arrived to your new home, master, call my name I'll be there!" Draco nodded and he felt Scorpius' hand tighten around his. His son had never fancied to apparate. Draco clutched his small child's hand reassuringly. Soon, the three vanished from the foyer.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Tell me where he is, NOW"

Pansy looked angrily at Marcus, fighting the urge to spit in his face. She wasn't suicidal.

"Make me!" she challenged. Marcus smirked devilishly and pulled out his wand.

"You won't keep my boyfriend and child from me, Parkinson. CRUCIO!" Pansy fell to the floor and thrashed around, yet no sound escaped her lips. She wouldn't grant Marcus that privilege.

"Fine, keep your secrets. You're making Draco's situation worse by keeping silent. Tell me where he is"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Pansy screamed at last, when Marcus intensified the pain, "PLEASE!" Marcus' features hardened and he suddenly lowered his wand.

"What a weakling you've become, Pansy" he sneered, "I pity you!" Pansy was sprawled on the floor, her body shaking in spasms. Without another word, Marcus left her crying and throwing up.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Blaise, you must be KIDDING ME!" Draco couldn't believe that his so-called best friend had brought him to Potter's house. Why, why him?

"Besides, Marcus will know that…" Realizing that Scorpius and Teddy were still present, Draco quickly shut his mouth. Blaise as if reading Draco's thoughts, sent the children away who gladly complied. Harry was standing quietly in the corridor, inertly happy that Draco had found the courage to leave Flint. Although he wouldn't admit, Harry was happy that Blaise had chosen Grimmauld Place to hide Draco. Harry would be able to gradually learn more about Draco's life.

"What was I saying? Oh yeah right, Marcus will know that I'm here, your plan will fail!" Draco said venomously. Draco's reaction reminded Harry of their school years and a pleasant feeling spread in his stomach, as though he had just swallowed a bunch of butterflies.

"Well, we could always go at Hermione and Ron's house, they would gladly…" Harry saw Draco lift one eyebrow in disbelief, an ironic smile on his lips.

"Really, the weasel and the miss-know-it-all will surely be GLAD to hide me from my abusive boyfriend, OF COURSE. Potter, you're living in a fucking dream. I need help right now and I surely won't get any from you. In fact, you would make it even worse!"

"Draco's right, anybody linked to you will be visited by Marcus and we can't risk putting everyone into danger. No, I was thinking of something else" Harry and Draco looked at Blaise in wonder. The other man smirked.

"I don't think that Marcus knows of Godric's Hollow, Harry! You could move over there with Teddy, Scorpius and Draco. Haven't you been rebuilding it?" Harry felt stupid for not suggesting Godric's Hollow earlier.

"Well, it's not entirely finished, but we could try. Marcus will not come there. In a few days, we can then proceed to the deposition"

"NO FUCKING DEPOSITION" Draco shouted, tears welling up in his stormy eyes. "I won't let Marcus being imprisoned. I… I will ask for divorce papers and we'll see what shall happen next. I will also look for a job so that I won't have to bother you too long, Potter!"

"Does that mean that you're going to stay?" Harry asked, his voice sounding maybe a little bit too hopeful. Draco looked at Harry, his eyes shining in unshed tears.

"Only until I've found a lodging. Afterwards, I'll leave you be!"

"You may stay as long as you wish, Mal… Draco. Since you're going to live with me, we should avoid the spitefulness. How about we start all over again?" Draco snorted disdainfully and looked at Harry with that same arrogant smirk on his lips he always wore in school.

"You mean start all over again without the fussing, the teasing and the bickering around? Sorry Potter, but I would miss that far too much to avoid doing it" Harry smiled sincerely at the new member of the household.

"I'm looking forward to our cohabitation, Malfoy!"

**Longer chapter. Hope you liked it guys. **

**TBC…**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: A new beginning**

**Chapter sixteen finally online. In my opinion, this chapter is a very emotional and important one. I felt really weird when writing it. Just wanted to apologize for something, though: There were many reviews concerning the length of the story: I realize that it must be frustrating to wait for Harry and Draco to get together, but I thought that taking it slow was the best thing to do. Especially since I wanted to have more than twenty or so chapters, so this fanfiction was supposed to be a very long one. So I'm terribly sorry for the wait and I promise to do my best. Know that all your reviews and advice will help me improve my writing. Also, if I should write another fanfiction or oneshot, I will know what to do and what to avoid. So your reviews, good or bad, are important. Thanks for being faithful reviewers and readers. Enjoy! **

"Little fucker won't escape me much longer" Marcus said, lifting his glass filled with a deep amber liquid to his lips. After he had paid Pansy a little visit, he had gone to Potter's house, remembering that Scorpius had been fussing about visiting Teddy Lupin. Unfortunately, he had found the house empty, but he wasn't stupid. The fact that Draco, Zabini and Potter were missing at the same time had to mean something. Theodore Nott, whom he had considered his best friend in the past ten years, looked intently back at him, sipping his own whiskey.

"I suggest you calm down before you go and find Draco and Scorpius. From what you've told me, you almost killed him before he disappeared. He's probably scared and confused. Don't worry, he'll come back without your help" Theodore said knowingly. Marcus snorted, emptying the remaining of his glass in one go.

"How would you know what's going on in the little bitch's mind" Marcus asked bitterly. His friend leant over the small coffee table set between the two armchairs and smirked almost devilishly.

"Firstly he hasn't got a job and his vault in Gringotts is locked. He isn't allowed to withdraw money since the Ministry has condemned the Malfoys to help finance the reconstruction of Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. By the end, Draco will be ruined" Marcus nodded absently, wondering how he hadn't thought of that in the first place. Theo's smirk grew broader.

"Besides I'm sure he will miss your touch and I'm speaking from experience. Don't you remember? I was always so eager to…" Theo let his hand wander up Marcus' thigh, slowly massaging the other man's cock through his trousers, "… return" he finished, the word coming out as a hiss when Marcus' hand stopped his movements.

"I surely remember" the latter said, removing the wandering hand from his trousers, "but times have changed and what happened between you and me lies in the past now"

Theo took it as an offence when Marcus had denied him that which he so badly wanted. Theo had always been jealous of Draco and not only because he had been able to date Marcus and be the father of his child. No, Theo had always envied Draco's good looks, his aristocratic appearance and his self-confidence. Therefor the other man had always tried to copy Draco in many ways, something that had not gone unnoticed. When Theo had found out that his boyfriend had left him for Draco Malfoy, something in him had broken. From that day forward, he had kept wondering what was wrong with him. He hadn't understood why Marcus had preferred spending his life with Draco rather than with him. Now he understood: Draco was an easier prey. He was desperate, lost and alone, with no money and it had been easy for Marcus to seduce him. Draco made the prefect little slave, something Theo would have never become. He was too pig-headed and liked having it his way, just like Marcus. However, Marcus loved obedience and submission: Theo wouldn't have been able to give him all of that.

"Of course" Theo said, settling back into his comfortable armchair. He wasn't one to contradict Marcus, especially when he now knew what he was capable of.

"I'm sorry Theo" the other man said, not looking sorry at all though, "but I can't give you what you want"

"Why not" Theo said in a rare moment of boldness, "after all it would not be the first time you'd have cheated on Draco" Marcus glared back at him, but decided not to argue further with his best friend. He didn't want to have to teach him a lesson.

"I won't cheat on Draco with you, there's a reason why I left you after all. So you believe Draco will come back crawling, begging for me to have him back. Interesting theory, I would surely enjoy seeing that. The Malfoy heir on his knees, begging me to help him, shamelessly crying at my feet and our son looking just as desperate as his bitch of a father would indeed please me. The question is, how long will my stubborn boyfriend be able to resist?"

Theodore thought that this time, Marcus had gone too far. Why couldn't he see that Theo wanted him so badly? He would do everything for Marcus, even get on his knees and beg and cry until the elder man eventually took pity of him and would release him from his pain. But Theodore would have none of that, not anymore. If Marcus thought he could hurt everybody's feelings and get by it easily, he was wrong.

"Something tells me Draco won't return before a long time" Marcus snorted and poured more whiskey in his glass.

"I think you're wrong" he retorted easily, smiling to himself. Theodore gave a mischievous grin.

"What will be will be"

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Godric's Hollow was a small village in the West Country of England. It was a rather small community in Draco's eyes, with only a main square, a pub and a small church surrounded by a grave-yard. Draco thought he had even seen a post office not far away from the main square. Potter's house resembled more a small cottage, nothing extravagant, just a small cosy-looking cottage. The outside looked newer than the other houses and the inside was a very modern facility. The walls of the living room, in which Draco was currently sitting on a black leathered couch, were painted in a cream white and the furniture consisted of wooden bookshelves, a low coffee table and a flat screen inside a large cupboard. Draco liked it, sober and yet elegant. It looked a little bit like his apartment in London. A shudder ran down his spine when he thought of the place he had shared with Marcus. It woke in him bad memories and made him feel nervous.

"Here" someone said suddenly, handing him a mug of tea. Draco looked up at the speaker and looked directly into Potter's emerald eyes. Only then did he notice that he was wearing contacts.

"Th-Thanks" he said, a little bit confused, taking the mug from the other man's hands. He tentatively took a sip and found that the tea had been sugared… just the way he liked it **(1)**. Draco gave Harry a shy smile before quickly looking away. Harry wasn't even sure if he had truly seen it or if he had imagined the gesture. He didn't care for now; first, he needed answers and he planned on making Draco tell him.

"So, since we're going to live together for the next few months, I think I have the right to know why you fled the martial home only now" Draco almost choked on his tea, struggling to keep his mouth closed in order not to spill any of the liquid on the creamed-coloured carpet.

"I…" he said after swallowing his sip, "… Marcus and I weren't… well we weren't married, so…" A sigh escaped Draco's lips and it took him some time to recover from his initial shock.

"We weren't married, just in a relationship. I never liked the idea of marrying. I don't know if it was because of what… of him or if it was because I didn't feel ready" Draco quickly corrected himself, almost giving his dark secret away. Harry, however, was no fool and noticed the blonde's hesitation.

"So, why did you leave only now?" he asked, not letting the blonde change the subject. Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath and a sip of his tea, as if to give him strength to speak.

"We… had a tiff. Oh well no, we didn't really, we… we broke up. Or actually, I left and I hope that we broke up" Harry didn't know if he understood that last part, but he didn't investigate the matter further.

"So what made you want to come to me?" he asked, truly curious.

"It wasn't my idea, believe me. In fact, I first apparated to Malfoy Manor and there, after some time I found an elf, Mirova and…" as soon as Malfoy had spoken the name, a loud pop resonated and the small, bony elf stood on the expensive coffee table and was bowing to her master.

"Master, Mirova thought you would never call her. She thought you had forgotten her or worse, not wanted her services" Harry was shocked and saw Draco's surprise. He had apparently forgotten about the poor creature. Harry made a mental note to hide Mirova when Hermione would come to visit. The thought reminded him that he still had to tell his friends of his new housemate.

"No… no Mirova I haven't forgotten you, it's just that… I had other things on my mind. You can… you can go and check for Scorpius and his new friend, Teddy. They're in the room" In a flash of a second, Mirova was gone. Draco sighed in relief.

"God, I did forget about her" he muttered, making Harry chuckle. After a short moment of silence, the blonde noticed that he still had not told Potter what he wanted to hear and so, he decided to carry on with his tale.

"Like I was saying, I apparated in Malfoy Manor, found the house-elf and asked her to warn Blaise of my arrival in Wiltshire. He thought that… that it would be better to come and hide at your place because Marcus would surely look at the Manor and at Blaise's and… Scorpius would not think so much of his father if Teddy was around" Draco admitted in shame. Harry though the blonde looked remorseful.

"Actually, Scorpius is anxious about not seeing his father again" Harry nodded understandingly.

"I think he won't think much about Marcus here. He has Teddy now. It might be a problem when the boy has to leave for Hogwarts"

"I hope that by then I'll have a good job and maybe a nice apartment. I'm not sure if I'm going to stay in England or leave the country, maybe even the continent. I really don't want Marcus to… I don't want Marcus to find me. I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore. He ruined everything" Draco said, looking blankly at the floor, his mouth twisted in an expression of pure disgust. Harry hated seeing him that way, although he couldn't say why.

"You really think that leaving the country will help?" Draco didn't answer for a long time and when he eventually met Harry's gaze again, his eyes shone in unshed tears.

"I don't know. I have no idea if it will help. I don't know how far Marcus will go to find me and his son. I don't know what he's capable of and I'm sure he's capable of more than just almost choking me to death" Draco said, giving his secret away at last and not caring if Harry had heard it. He didn't care about anything anymore. All that mattered was his and Scorpius' safety. The rest was little more than unimportant.

"I'm scared" he said in a broken whisper, covering his quivering lips with his hand and shutting his eyes tightly in order not to let his tears roll down his face. The mug he held in one hand fell to the floor, staining the carpet in dark brown spots. Harry didn't know how to react to such a display of emotions, especially when the one in pain was Draco Malfoy. Only once had Harry seen his nemesis cry and that had been a horrible experience. He remembered hearing the broken sobs, the short breathing and the loud sniffing. Harry had then realized that Malfoy was a human like him, with feelings and fears. And now, all of his feelings were struggling to leave him, eager to leave this tormented body. Not hesitating any longer, Harry stood up and went to wrap an arm around Draco's shaking shoulders, ignoring the shattered pieces of ceramic on the floor.

"I will protect you and Scorpius, don't worry. I swear I won't let anything happen to you, I won't let the bastard hurt you"

"You… you don't understand" Draco said between sobs, "… he's strong, he's so strong… and I'm weak! I should've… should've ne… never left. Now he knows that I'm weak… he will get me and ... Scorpius" Draco buried his tear-streaked face against Harry's exposed neck and sobbed until he had no tears left to cry. The Boy-Who-Lived would have later admitted that he'd rather fought the Dark Lord again than to see his nemesis in such pain. It was a pain Harry couldn't understand and therefor couldn't heal. Although his aunt and uncle had been cruel to him, they had never beaten him. It was hard to see someone suffer and not being able to help him. In a last desperate gesture of comfort, Harry kissed Draco's scalp and rocked the blonde soothingly until they both fell asleep on the couch.

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"Teddy, do you think I will ever see my father again?" Teddy, after making sure that the house-elf wasn't looking at them, answered in a hushed tone:

"Why would you never see him again?" Scorpius shrugged his shoulders, thinking about how he could tell Teddy about all that had happened. After he had told him everything from how his daddy had harshly sent him away to when he and Scorpius had apparated at Mr Potter's house, the child then said:

"You know Teddy I don't know what to believe anymore. First, I hated father for hurting daddy. Then, you told me that father is not all bad and I started liking him better. Then, daddy told me that father does love me and I thought that it was fine to love him again. But now, daddy takes me away and tells me that I won't see father for a few months. I mean, it was not the first time they fought, yet this time daddy decided to leave. I don't know how I should feel about my father"

Teddy knew that the matter was a complicated one, or else his uncle Harry wouldn't have brought them here. But how could Teddy help Scorpius when he didn't know what had happened? He wanted to help the one he considered his little brother, but it was difficult and he didn't know where to begin.

"You know Scorpius, when adults fight all the time and can't get along with each other anymore, they think it preferable to split up. I think that if your father and your daddy were constantly fighting, it's better to split up than to scream at each other, you understand? And you can still love your father and your daddy even if they're not together anymore. It's just another chapter of life that's ending. Now, you should turn the page and start a new chapter" Teddy was always told to be very mature for his age and he now understood why everybody said so. He was really proud of his little speech and he seemed to have made Scorpius think about this new situation. After a pause, the child nodded and smiled at Teddy and as though nothing had happened, he asked:

"Do you collect the chocolate frog cards? I do, I haven't got much cards, but I've just recently started and by the time I go to Hogwarts, I will have so many cards and I will be able to sell them" Scorpius' smile was mischievous and Teddy shook his head in dismay, pitying his cousin Draco for having such a troublemaker of a son.

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**(1) Just a little reference to a scene that has occurred in one of the previous chapters. Remember when Draco, Marcus and Scorpius first visit Teddy and Harry. There was one scene where Harry asked Draco whether he would have one or two sugars in his tea and Marcus had answered in Draco's stead, that he didn't want any. Harry had seen the look on Draco's face and had added some sugar in the tea, unbeknownst to Marcus. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Future prospects**

In the morning, Draco was already sitting at the kitchen table, leafing through the Daily Prophet in a desperate attempt to find a job. There were two problems, though: firstly, Draco wanted to become a healer (and also had the qualifications for it), but St. Mungo's wasn't really in need of new staff members. Secondly, Draco was a former Death Eater and the wounds the war had left behind were still fresh in many people's minds. It would be very difficult to find a job, but Draco had to try. He couldn't live with Potter all his life. And he doubted that the other man would let him live that long in his company. Memories of the previous night flashed through Draco's mind and the blonde shook his head as if to chase these thoughts away.

In the morning, Draco had woken up with a sore back and in the arms of the Saviour of the Wizarding World. Not to mention how much he suffered from soreness, he had woken up in HARRY POTTER'S arms. His arch enemy, the boy he had sworn to hate all his life. Of course, circumstances had changed and now, Draco had to live with Harry, share the same room with Harry, have polite conversations with Harry… . If he also had to wake up in Harry's arms, that definitely was an argument to leave quickly. _Why_, his conscious taunted him mercilessly, _it's not like you didn't enjoy it…_ Enjoy was not the correct term. Needed was more like it. The last time Draco had been comforted was… an awful long time ago it seemed. It had just felt right to simply lie in another person's arms and be comforted in a friendly manner. Harry hadn't taken advantage on this situation. Not that he had a reason to. _I mean, it's not like he had fallen in love with me or anything_, Draco thought.

"Good morning" a tired voice greeted him from the door. Draco, who had been lost in his thoughts, hadn't noticed Harry walk in and he quickly looked away. He still managed a small reply and from the corner of his eye, observed Potter discreetly. The other man rubbed his tired eyes and stretched his arms over his head. Draco feared Harry would speak of the previous night while Draco merely wanted to forget what had happened.

"I see you've helped yourself with some tea already" he said conversely, thank God avoiding the 'taboo' subject. Draco wasn't sure if Potter was being reproachful or merely stating a fact.

"I didn't know I had to ask for permission" he said sourly, turning a page from the Prophet and realizing that he had gone through all the job ads without success. Frustrated, Draco pushed the newspaper away, which fell on the floor at Harry's feet. The raven haired man looked quizzically at his guest.

"No, I suppose not. You also live here, after all, you can of course help yourself with all you need" Harry picked the Prophet up and looked at the page, "you were looking for a job, am I right?" he asked. Draco nodded and took a small sip of his now cold tea. He forced the liquid down, grimacing as it rushed down his throat and left an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

"So? Found anything?'" Draco shook his head.

"No! It seems that I'm overqualified for most of these jobs. Besides, I don't know why I even bother reading that fish wrapper" Draco said and Harry chuckled somehow. He loved how Draco fussed about everything and nothing. That was what qualified the rich prat he had known at school.

"What are your qualifications?"

"Potions! I'd like to find a job as a healer somewhere. People of _my_ kind have caused so many deaths. I don't know how many people my father killed, but I just want to make things right again, to be the best healer I can in order to help people who have suffered from war. If I could specialize with children that would be perfect" Harry was surprised and hadn't at all expected this kind of vocation for Malfoy. He would have seen Draco work in finances, but not as a healer and definitely not as a paediatrician. On the other hand, he was really good in potions so it shouldn't surprise Harry that much.

"Well, St. Mungo's hasn't been hiring healers in a couple of years now, but Hermione told me they were in need of paediatricians"

"Granger Stran…, I mean Hermione" Harry noticed that Draco made an obvious effort to be nice to Hermione and it warmed his heart a little, "works for St. Mungo's? Well, I suppose that she's skilled enough and she certainly has a talent with other people"

"I could always ask her to get you in" Harry said, smiling at the Blonde's compliment. He was sure however, that if Hermione had been here, Draco wouldn't ever have said something of that kind. Harry made a note to tell his best friend about her apparent 'skilfulness"

"Potter, I'm a former Death Eater… you really believe that anyone would hire me?" Harry's smile vanished. He hadn't thought about that.

"Well then, how about Wales or Scotland, I'm sure they also need heal…" but Draco interrupted Harry quickly.

"The United Kingdom and Ireland has been greatly involved in war. I don't believe I will find a job here. No, if I want to start a new life, I need to get out of England and the surrounding countries. I might go to France, Australia or maybe even the United States"

_So far away,_ Harry thought. He didn't want Draco to leave now that he had found a 'friend' in him. Harry wasn't sure if he could call Draco a friend, but after what had happened the previous night and the fact that Draco had slept in his arms all night, they certainly weren't enemies anymore.

"The United States, that's quite far away from England, isn't it? What about Scorpius' friends?" Though Harry doubted that Scorpius had many friends, he still wanted to convince Draco not to leave England.

"Pardon me, what friends? Scorpius has never been a very sociable child and he has always been really reserved"

"But what about Hogwarts, he will have to go to school someday" Harry said.

"There are very good schools everywhere in the world, I wouldn't worry about that" Draco finished his tea quickly and went to wash his mug. Harry swirled in his chair to face Draco.

"So, where would _you_ want to go?" Draco shrugged his shoulders.

"France probably"

"France? But then Scorpius would have to go to Beauxbâtons. And Healers in France have to speak French fluently" Draco finished washing the mug and closed the tab before grabbing the towel and drying the dish.

"So?" he asked, leaning his back against the kitchen sink and facing Harry. The raven haired man lifted one eyebrow. "It's a girl school" he said, frowning as if in disgust. Draco chuckled and smiled fatherly at Harry.

"There are mostly girls, but there are also some boys, although their number is weak. Besides, the Black family has had French ancestors for centuries now. My mother taught me some French when I was young. It's no wonder the motto of the Black family is 'toujours pur'" Harry couldn't help but notice how cute Draco looked when he chuckled and smiled. And he was also surprised to know that Draco could speak French and that made him feel all weird. A little bit like when Fleur was speaking to her family. Harry had often heard her speak to her little sister and he had absolutely fallen in love with the language. It was almost like a song, although that part could have been because of Fleur's veela genes.

"But Scorpius wouldn't feel at ease. I mean, boys and men need male friends so that they can talk about male stuff, you know" It was now Draco's turn to frown.

"Pansy is my best friend and I've told her about my problems"

"Oh yes I can see that! I'm sure you told her everything about what Marcus did to you" As soon as Harry had spoken those words, he felt the strange urge to slap himself hard in the face… with a chair… an iron chair. Draco's smile vanished and his eyes were hard and glared at Harry. The other man felt slightly uneasy, considering that Draco definitely was taller and certainly stronger than him.

"You little son of a bitch, you…"

"Morning, daddy" a small voice greeted. Harry saw with amazement how quickly Draco's facial expression changed from being pissed to being loving. The younger Malfoy clutched his teddy in one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other, yawning sweetly. Teddy was just behind him and went to hug Harry.

"Hello you two, did you sleep well?" Harry asked. The two boys nodded and Scorpius stretched his arms out to his father and was almost immediately picked up into the blonde man's arms.

"Hungry, darling?" Draco asked and Scorpius nodded sleepily. Draco glared one last time at Harry and busied himself with preparing breakfast for the two boys.

"I can do that if you like, Draco. You don't have to… "

"I'm fine" the blonde snapped. Harry nodded quietly and went upstairs to take a shower. He maybe shouldn't have been so rude, but he hadn't been able to control himself. He didn't understand why, but he didn't want Draco to leave. Harry tried to tell himself that it was because if he did, Teddy and Scorpius would be separated and that would make the boys sad. But the truth was, he was beginning to like Draco very much. Mainly because the blonde didn't treat him like a hero, but like a normal person. Of course, Harry had saved Draco's life a few times and Draco was in the other man's debt, but it was still different. Harry didn't want to be treated like a hero, yet he always had.

After the war, Kingsley Shacklebolt had hired him and Ron as Aurors, but neither of them had had to pass any tests. "I'm sure that after defeating Voldemort, you don't have to pass any tests" But what if Harry wanted to pass these damn tests, just to prove that he had deserved the job? The prophet kept following his every steps, writing about whatever they thought wasn't normal with their hero. Once, Rita Skeeter had written an article about Harry in which she had speculated that the Golden Boy had an affair with his colleague Blaise Zabini. It was stupid, especially if you knew that Blaise was in a relationship with Pansy. Every single person Harry met in Diagon Alley greeted him and thanked him for saving their lives. Harry was glad he had been of any help, but some people just crossed the line… quite often. Draco was different. Draco was honest with Harry and wouldn't miss an occasion to taunt him. Not as much as he used to do at Hogwarts, but that was because of the circumstances and Harry understood. He still missed the old Draco and he would do anything to get him back.

**I know it's short and that nothing really exciting happens, but this was just to describe the development of Harry and Draco's relationship. And I'm so terribly sorry for not updating sooner, the thing is I've had lots of exams and I haven't had the motivation to actually write more. Some problems have occurred and I never felt in the mood. But now, I'll try to come back more regularly with new chapters. Thanks for still faithfully reading and being patient readers. You're the very best! **

**TBC…**


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